


Watch Me As I Disappear

by chvotic



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Angst, Anxiety, Blood, Child Abuse, Crying, Deception, Drugged Peter Parker, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Graphic Description, Gun Violence, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Reveal, Illusions, Kidnapping, Loss of Powers, Lots of Crying, Major Character Injury, Manipulative Quentin Beck, Nicknames, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, Panic Attacks, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker-centric, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Presumed Dead, Psychological Torture, Reunions, Serious Injuries, Swearing, Threats of Violence, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark-centric, Tony still has the tower, Torture, Villain Quentin Beck, Violence, Vomiting, Wetting, Wetting out of fear, Worried Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:21:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 64,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23873830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chvotic/pseuds/chvotic
Summary: Discontinued 2/11/20“Oh, and don’t even think about the watch, suit, phone, or your laptop. We left them all in a dumpster alongway away from here, any trackers Stark put on you are useless. He’s probably there right now, losing his damn mind because he can’t find his precious little intern.”Peter slumped back against the cell and buried his face in his arms, not wanting to look at the figure of his captor any longer.OrPeter gets caught in the crossfire of Quentin Beck's vicious revenge scheme to get back at Tony for ruining his life.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 121
Kudos: 441





	1. Goodnight, Spider-Man

**Author's Note:**

> i'm really excited to be posting this ahhHH but also terrified to see what people will think.
> 
> i don't know when updates will be, it depends on how inspired i am and how far ahead i am in writing the chapters. hopefully not too long.
> 
> also, **pay attention to the tags!!** things are gonna get darker as we go along, so, if anything triggers you i'd steer clear. i don't know what i'm gonna do just yet but i have a basic idea. i'll have warnings in the beginnings of chapters as well.
> 
> the title came from the 5sos song 'thin white lies' since i was listening to it as i did the tags... i'm bad at titles.
> 
> anyways, hope you enjoy :)

“Watch it, Penis!”

Peter rolled his eyes as Flash knocked into him; his senses having warned him about the incoming impact only seconds before. He pretended to stumble, but then actually stumbled and missed a step.

Using his powers to catch himself before he actually fell, Peter ignored the bully as he cackled and headed towards his car.

“Are you coming tonight?” Ned asked as the two of them stopped by the bike racks to say goodbye. Students streamed past them, the two teens not paying them any mind as they conversed with each other. “MJ really wants you to-”

“I can’t, Ned.” Peter groaned, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the pleading tone in his friend’s voice. “May won’t let me, I already told you!”

“Why not?” Ned asked for the millionth time that day. “She let you come to Liz’s party, remember? She wanted you to go!”

“Yeah, I know. She doesn’t want me going to this one, I’ve been patrolling every night this week and she doesn’t want me going again tonight. Sorry, Ned.” Peter lied through his teeth. If he told her, Peter was sure May would be more than happy to let him go. It was rare he got invited to parties and being invited to Flash’s was an achievement in itself. Even if the boy had just tried to push him down the stairs. Even MJ was going. “I really am sorry.”

“It’s okay, man.” Ned wiped any trace of sadness off of his face and grinned. Seeing his friend pretend not to be sad made Peter feel even guiltier for not accompanying him to the second party they’d ever been invited too. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah!” Peter returned the smile with as much energy he could generate. They quickly did their secret handshake at the same time before parting. “Bye!”

“Bye, Peter!”

As he made his way down the sidewalk, Peter put his earbuds in and turned up the music as loud as he could without hurting his senses.

In all truths, he didn’t want to go to the party. Mostly, because it was hosted by Flash, and the fact that he just didn’t like parties all together. Parties made him anxious, and judging by how his last one had gone, he wasn’t eager to repeat it.

He wasn’t even sure why Flash had invited him, Ned and MJ in the first place. With Flash, there was always some kind of ulterior motive. That thought alone almost had him turn around and tell Ned he was actually coming, but he pushed the need down and continued walking.

Peter contemplated going on patrol, the suit ready in the bottom of his backpack like it always was. He’d been out every day this week after school, that part hadn’t been a lie. After hurting himself yesterday, he didn’t feel like injuring himself more by going out again and he was sure May or even Tony would ground him if he did.

So, he continued walking down the street like a normal, non-superpowered teenager.

A few streets away from the subway, Peter’s spider sense was triggered. He tensed, but didn’t stop walking, and subtly looked around for any signs of immediate danger. Around five seconds after, a man knocked into him so hard he almost fell over from the sheer shock of it.

Peter winced, because the shoulder the man had knocked, he’d slammed into the side of a building just last night. This was what caused Peter to stumble, his hand immediately holding his shoulder as it pulsed with pain.

Everything the man had been holding dropped onto the ground, a few papers falling from folders and landing in a puddle. Peter stupidly watched it happen and continued to hold his shoulder.

“Ah, shit!” The man exclaimed; eyes locked with Peter’s immediately. Peter expected the stranger to be mad, but he looked some sort of mix between guilty and amused. “Sorry, kid, I wasn’t looking where I was going. Today’s been a bit of a stressful one, y’know? I’ve been in a rush since I woke up.”

“That’s okay.” Peter smiled, already bent down to help pick up the man’s belongings while ignoring his own pain. He pulled the papers out of the puddle with a wince and handed them back to the man, who took them slowly. The stranger let out a heavy sigh, Peter looking up just in time to see him shaking his head. “Sorry.”

“Nah, not your fault kid. I should’ve looked where I was going.” The man shut him down immediately, gathering the rest of his things back into his arms. When Peter looked up, the man had a kind smile on his face.

Peter couldn’t see his eyes; they were masked by the dark sunglasses he wore. In general, his clothing was rather dark and lacked any colour. He looked in his thirties or forties and had a pretty impressive beard.

Overall, the man creeped Peter out a little. Something about him just seemed… off. The dark clothing didn’t help his case.

They stood there in silence for a few moments before the man extended a hand, all his belongings transferred to his other arm.

“Sorry about that. Have a good day.” The man apologised; Peter hesitant to shake his hand. He did it anyways, letting a fake smile form on his face.

“You too.”

The man dropped his hand, nodded once with that same kind smile, then walked away. Peter did the same, glancing back to watch the retreating figure disappear down the street. The man didn’t look back once.

Not putting much thought into the interaction, Peter continued his usual route to the subway and shoved his hands in his pockets. It was getting a little cold out.

He had been completely immersed in his music when his senses were triggered again, Peter again looking around him in search of danger. Nothing stood out, everyone was going about their business. There was nothing unusual about his surroundings.

Peter continued to look around as the seconds stretched on, waiting for something to happen. Nothing did, but his senses didn’t cease their warnings. Peter walked on like nothing was wrong, grateful to reach the subway in one piece. He stood on the platform, waiting for his train to come, absently flicking through the apps on his phone to make it come across that he was busy.

Whatever it was that had triggered his senses, it wasn’t going away. It made him feel uneasy.

Just as it reached the time his train was supposed to arrive, he spotted something dark moving out the corner of his eye. He jumped when a hand clapped his shoulder, his phone falling from his grip which yanked his earbuds from his ears in the process. The technology clattered onto the floor, the screen smashing more than it already was, which caused Peter to frown.

He looked to the person who was touching him, surprised to see it was the man from earlier. “Hey, kid. Small world?”

Peter laughed awkwardly, and the man’s hand dropped from his shoulder. He bent down and picked up his phone, disconnecting his earbuds and put them in his pocket. The phone went in next, Peter looking up at the time. His train hadn’t arrived yet.

His foot began to tap against the tiles nervously as the man hovered by him. He was staring.

“Yeah, I guess.” He mumbled after a moment, subtly nudging away from the man.

“Hm.” The man hummed. Peter noticed he didn’t have all the stuff he had dropped with him anymore. “What’s your name, kid?”

“Uh-” Peter spluttered, feeling the nerves beginning to churn in his stomach. The bad feeling hadn’t gone away. Something felt wrong. “Peter.”

“Peter.” The man was grinning. “I’m Quentin.”

Something was _wrong._

Peter held his own hand in front of him, finger creeping over to his watch.

The watch had been given to him by Tony a few weeks back. Peter thought it was awesome. There were so many features packed into the small thing, including an emergency button for times when he wasn’t Spider-Man. It was expertly hidden, and only Peter, Tony, May and Ned knew where it was. He wasn’t sure if _this_ was an emergency, but the man was beginning to freak him out.

“Realised I was going the wrong way. Like I said, busy day.” The man, Quentin, laughed. “Where you off to?”

“Um…” Peter replied, searching for the small button without looking at it. “Home.”

“Hm.” Quentin hummed again and rocked on the balls of his feet. Peter glanced to the time again and furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The train was meant to be here ten minutes ago, and it was never late. Never. If it was, someone would have said it over the speakers by now.

Now that he thought about it, the subway felt eerily empty and quiet. “That’s a nice watch, Pete. Birthday present?”

Peter’s fingers paused, muscles tense. He held his breath for a moment before he spoke.

“Yeah.”

“Looks expensive.” Quentin commented, Peter meeting the man’s gaze. He had removed his sunglasses, Peter now able to see his full face. There was something familiar about him, like he’d seen him in a picture before, but he wasn’t sure when or where. “Whoever gave that to you must really love you.”

Peter let out another awkward laugh, and didn’t let his fingers hesitate anymore. When Quentin’s gaze turned to the tracks, he kicked into action and found the emergency button. He pressed down hard and held his breath as the stranger’s eyes snapped to him in one swift motion, as if he had been expecting Peter to do something when he wasn’t looking.

They remained quiet for a long time; Peter too scared to move a muscle. Everything about this situation just screamed _wrong._

The watch clicked and then vibrated gently, alerting him that Tony had gotten the message and was coming to help him. That’s what he assumed the vibration meant, Tony had told him when he gifted it to Peter that an alert would be given so he knew his mentor was coming.

“You see, kid.” Quentin began, his tone hardened. Peter gulped. “I know Stark Tech when I see it. That thing on your wrist is definitely Stark Tech.”

“I uh- I g-gotta go, sir.” Peter stammered as he backed away from the man. Without the suit, he couldn’t do anything, because doing anything would put his identity in jeopardy. He looked around, none of the other civilians paying him any mind as he inwardly panicked. “It was nice seeing you, uh- bye.”

How had he known it was Tony’s technology? Tony had specifically designed it to look like a normal watch.

He ignored the thoughts as he quickly walked away, hating himself for hoping that Tony would be here soon. He felt stupid, he was Spider-Man, he should be able to get himself out of a situation like this. If he was wearing the suit, he wouldn’t have been anywhere near as scared, because this probably would never have happened in the first place.

His senses were going haywire as he picked up the pace, and for a moment, he thought that maybe he had gotten away. Peter was practically running now, trying his best to get to the exit on the other side of the platform.

All of a sudden, before he could reach his goal, Peter slammed into something. The hit left him stunned, stumbling backwards a few steps as he reached up to rub his head. Whatever he had hit, his head had smacked against it and now he saw stars.

He looked around wildly, trying to figure out what he had run into. It felt like he had smashed right into a brick wall.

When he looked down the platform, it was all clear space. The exit to the subway just a few more steps away. He launched himself forwards again with the thought that he had imagined it, only to hit the invisible wall with such force he heard something crack.

Peter fell back onto his ass this time, having used his powers to get himself moving quicker. Confused, he scrambled to sit up. He looked in front of him a second time, eyes focussed on the crack that was hovering mid-air.

The crack itself was grey, almost as if it were concrete. It was surrounded by small blue particles that were moving, moving in a way that made it look like it was trying to make it _disappear_. Within a few seconds, the crack that had been there disappeared completely, and all that remained was clear space.

Peter sat there, dumbstruck, before he hurriedly got to his feet. He whipped around just in time to see Quentin standing a few steps away from him, simply watching.

He backed away, desperately wishing he didn’t feel as scared as he felt as he felt right now, but he couldn’t do anything. He didn’t get very far before his back was making contact with a wall, only to look back and see he was leant against nothing.

Peter had never been more confused in his life.

Tony was coming, he had to be. His mentor had gotten the alert.

His senses spiked, the sound of something whistling through the air made its way to Peter’s ears. He was rigid in place, listening to the object come closer, feeling like a deer in headlights.

When something stabbed into his neck, Peter had never felt like more of a child. _He should have moved._

Unable to stop the whimper, Peter immediately raised his hand to yank the thing out of his neck. When he did, he looked down to see a small tranquiliser dart in his hand.

Almost as if the sight had triggered it, Peter’s vison blurred instantly, his muscles becoming jelly as he slumped onto the floor in a heap of limbs. The world around him began to darken, black dots floating around his vision as he began to lose his battle with consciousness. He now laid flat on his back, staring straight up, unable move as Quentin stood over him.

The cruel smirk on his face was terrifying.

“Goodnight, _Spider-Man.”_

The last feeling Peter registered was terror, before the world around him faded into nothing.

-

Peter came to with a pounding headache. He laid on his back as his stomach churned uncomfortably and violently as if he’d just been on a rollercoaster. Even though his eyes were closed, it felt like the entire room was spinning.

This feeling alone had him rolling onto his side, barely getting his arms underneath himself before promptly vomiting onto the floor. Everything he had eaten flowed out of him, splashing onto his hands and down one of his arms as he struggled to get himself on his hands and knees.

After what felt like hours of puking up his entire stomach, it came to a stop.

His eyes were barely open as he heaved in desperate breaths of air. Through the small slits in his eyelids, he could see the disgusting sight of his vomit all over him and the floor, which then triggered another violent gag. But this time, nothing came up.

He pushed himself up onto his knees and held his uncomfortable stomach with a groan, eyes squeezed shut. The headache was almost _agony._

“Wow.”

The sudden voice made Peter jump so hard it made his head pound even more, having to force his eyes open to see who was speaking.

The environment around him was one big, blurry mess, Peter barely able to recognise the silhouette of a person standing behind what looked like cell bars.

Peter pushed himself as far back as he could go, his back eventually met with a wall.

“That was disgusting, kid.” The voice said a moment later. Peter could practically hear the smirk. “Yeah, that drug has some funky side effects, doesn’t it?”

Peter didn’t say a word and instead pulled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on top of them as he tried to clear the blur in his eyes. His body shook violently, though he hadn’t realised when he had started to shake so bad. He couldn’t even remember where he was, or how he had gotten here.

“So, Spider-Man.” Peter froze before opening his mouth to say something. The man was talking before he could. “Yeah, Pete, I know your little secret. You don’t seem to be very good at keeping them.”

Peter strained to remember who was speaking to him, the blur in his eyes finally beginning to clear. The room was dark, dark enough that he couldn’t see the person’s features. All he could see was their figure, leant against a doorframe.

Peter’s stomach continued to churn, and the man kept talking.

“Not much of a talker, are you?” The man asked, and then took a step closer. It was then when Peter was smacked in the face with memories, along with the moments he’d had before and after he had been drugged with a tranquiliser dart. Quentin. “How about I introduce myself again, since I’m not so sure you remember. I’m Quentin Beck.”

Peter didn’t care who he was.

“W-what did you do to me?” Peter coughed; his throat extremely dry. His mouth also tasted like acid.

Beck, since Peter didn’t think calling him by his first name was something he wanted to do anymore, looked at him for a solid moment before he burst into laughter.

“You are so _innocent_. It’s not what you did to me, Peter. I hardly even know who you are.” Beck said between cackles, even leaning against the cell bars for support as he wheezed. “But I don’t think I want to tell you that just yet. So, I don’t know, sit back. Get comfortable.”

Peter didn’t say a word, and suddenly, Tony came to his mind.

He had been coming to help him.

_It must have been too late._

The watch!

Peter’s gaze snapped down to his wrist, dread filling his stomach when the familiar silver accessory wasn’t there. His shoulders slumped; lower lip caught in his teeth as he chewed desperately. Beck must’ve known there was something on the watch.

“Looking for your watch?” Peter looked up to find Beck, still leaning against the cell bars with a smirk on his face. “I know Stark made that thing for you. It’s obvious. I saw you fiddling with it when we were chatting. You told him you were in trouble, didn’t you?”

Anxiety tried to claw its way up his throat as he sat there listening to this stranger speak.

“Oh, and don’t even think about the watch, suit, phone, or your laptop. We left them all in a dumpster a _long_ way away from here, any trackers Stark put on you are useless. He’s probably there right now, losing his damn mind because he can’t find his precious little intern.”

Peter slumped back against the cell and buried his face in his arms, not wanting to look at the figure of his captor any longer. There was another loud cackle before the footsteps began to head towards the exit.

Beck closed the door with a violent slam, Peter left with a small flickering globe on the roof above him. It barely emitted any light; Peter might as well be sitting in the pitch black.

He’d lost the watch _and_ the suit. Tony had been so excited to give the watch to him, Peter just as much to receive it. Now it was gone.

His only way of telling Tony where he was, was gone.

He had nothing to get himself out of here except his powers.

Who was he kidding, he was strong enough to break out. _He could do this._

Peter tried to move, immediately regretting the decision when his insides began to twist into a tornado. Peter sat back and pulled his knees back to his chest, willing for the drug’s effects to wear off as his head pounded agonisingly with evert movement. The more he thought about it, the weaker he felt, the less hope he had of being about to bust himself out any time soon.

As soon as this drug wore off, Peter was getting himself out.

He should’ve known better than to get himself trapped here. He’d fallen right into the trap without even realising, disappointment directed toward himself settled deep in his gut.

Peter sat in the dim glow of the globe and stared straight ahead at the door Beck had disappeared into. The drug continued to run its course, Peter feeling so sick he thought he might pass out right there.

Whatever they had drugged him with, it was powerful enough to keep an enhanced person down for a long time. Peter couldn’t even begin to imagine where Beck had gotten it from. Tony had spoken with him about it once before after he came back from a mission with a stab wound, since in that moment they didn’t have anything strong enough for him and he had to go through surgery awake.

Since then, Tony had managed to create an anaesthetic that would keep him under in emergencies, like a stabbing or some other kind of surgery. Had these people somehow gotten their hands on it?

Peter had no idea whohad shot that dart. It hadn’t been Beck, he was certain. It had come from the side; Beck had been in front of him.

He hardly believed that the man was working alone.

Peter’s mind went back to what he had run into. There hadn’t been anything there when he was trying to escape, and all of a sudden, he’d crashed into some kind of invisible wall. Peter was beyond confused, his brain hurting just thinking about it.

After a while, Peter must have drifted off to sleep without realising. His eyes had fluttered closed at some point, the exhaustion from the drug having finally snatched him back into unconsciousness. He didn’t dream, his mind was empty. Blank. None of his usual nightmares tortured him as he slept, only jolting back into reality when a loud _bang_ echoed around the room.

His eyes flew open, head shooting up so fast he banged it on the wall he had been leaning on. Wincing, Peter reached up to rub at the sore spot, eyes finding an unrecognisable figure standing in front of him. It was a woman, not Beck.

“Hello, honey.” The woman said kindly and sent him a gentle smile, which caught Peter off guard. He stared at her in disbelief, his ears still ringing from the noise that had woken him up. “How are you feeling?”

Peter didn’t reply, lips sealed shut. He was sure the drug had worn off some, since his head was no longer pounding and whatever was left in his stomach didn’t want to escape as urgently as it did before.

The woman’s kind gaze didn’t waver as she pulled a chair over from the corner, sat down and elegantly put one leg over the other and lent back. Peter remained huddled in the back of his cell, curiously anticipating what she was going to do next.

“I’ve heard that you have connections to Tony Stark. You even have some of his tech in your possession.” She began, her kind eyes hardening just slightly. Peter watched her glance at the destroyed watch on the ground, quickly adverting his eyes when she looked back at him.

“We’ve had eyes on you for quite a while, sweetheart. You’re Spider-Man and all. It’s quite impressive you’ve seemed to get through all of Stark’s security measures and staff. None of us has seen anything like it, and we’d like to know how.”

_Us?_

Peter wanted to ask what she was talking about, but kept his mouth firmly shut. He had no idea what these people were capable of, so until he had his powers back, he wouldn’t do a thing.

“My name is Victoria.” A short pause. “Peter, honey, I don’t want to hurt you, please believe me on that.”

_Yeah, right._

Peter kept the smart remark to himself, and instead he narrowed his eyes. The woman, Victoria, seemed to notice the change in attitude, eyebrows raised just slightly. Oh, how punchable the expression made her face look.

“I’m being serious, I don’t want to hurt you. I can’t speak for the others, though. We just work for Boss. If I have to hurt you, I will.” Victoria tilted her head as if he were some kind of fascinating new species. “You have an interesting relationship with Tony Stark. At first we thought he was your father, but it was clear after a while that you weren’t. Even then, you two look so much like each other.”

What was this even about?

When he didn’t say anything, a loud sigh echoed throughout the room. “Peter, sweetheart, you must be able to speak. You’re fifteen, aren’t you?”

“I can talk. I just don’t want to talk to you.” Peter snapped with a sudden burst of confidence and anger, resulting in him having to bite down hard on his lip to stop himself from saying more. The room fell into silence, a mix of emotions flickering over Victoria’s face.

“Alright, then.” Victoria shrugged, before turning around. “Soon enough, you will, honey. Sit tight.”

She opened the door and let herself out without another word. The anger drained out of Peter’s body instantly, a small ounce of fear having taken its place. He didn’t want to be scared. He shouldn’tbe scared. Peter was fifteen, not five. He could handle it.

_May and Tony would want him to be brave._

So, Peter stood and walked across the cell, ignoring the wave of nausea that violently turned his stomach. He practically fell onto the bars after those few steps, eyes blurring for a few moments as his muscles seemed to give out on him. When he was sure he was able to stand without his knees buckling underneath him, Peter wrapped his fingers tight around two of the metal bars.

Then, he pulled.

Peter pulled hard, his feet digging into the floor as he tried to bend the metal. He wasn’t sure how long he pulled on the bars, and eventually he had to let go because his muscles were beginning to scream in agony. When he let go, he sank to the floor, heaving in deep and panicked breaths.

He looked at the bars, wrapping his fingers back around the two he had been pulling. They looked like normal metal. Metal he should be able to bend.

Something was wrong. The drug had mostly worn off now, or so he had thought.

He felt wrong.

Peter was meant to be back at his apartment with May right now.

He was supposed to go to the lab with Tony tomorrow, like they did every Friday.

Peter sighed and leant his head against the cool metal. He held the tears back. He could not cry, not in a place like this, because that would show them that he was weak.

Peter wanted to tell himself that he was strong, but right now, physically, he wasn’t.

He was a sitting duck.

And if he was being completely honest, all he wanted was to _go home._

A few minutes later, Peter stood and tried once again, hope fading away when the bars didn’t budge. He found himself sat in his original position in the back of the cell, legs outstretched in front of him.

He wanted to go home more than ever, and the thought brought tears back to his eyes.

Still, he didn’t let those tears fall.

_He wouldn’t let them._


	2. Breathless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a few things:  
> \- tony still has the tower  
> \- pepper and tony aren't together
> 
> also: panic attack warning
> 
> anyways, hope you enjoy :)

Tony’s day had been uneventful. He’d spent most of it down in the lab, running on about two hours of sleep for the week, working on a new upgrade for the armor.

His music blasted around him as he worked, right up until it was suddenly turned off.

“What the fuck?” Tony snapped, about to curse FRIDAY, but before he could he was cut off.

“Ms. Potts is on her way. She appears to be angry.”

“Tell her to go away.” Tony grumbled, not in the mood for the scolding he knew he was about to get. If Pepper was angry, he’d either done something stupid or not done his paperwork. He had a feeling it was both. “Tell her I’m sleeping.”

“I am sorry, Boss, but she knows you are awake.” FRIDAY’s tone was disapproving, as if she too were angry with Tony for something. “I have alerted her about your lack of sleep in the last five days.”

“Why would do you that?” Tony glared into FRIDAY’s security camera in the corner of the room. “She doesn’t have access-”

Before he could finish, the door to his lab opened.

Pepper stormed in, heels clacking against the floor. There was a line between her eyebrows, a deep glare on her face.

In her arms was a stack of papers.

Whoops, he didn’t do the paperwork.

“Tony, seriously!” Pepper yelled as she slammed the papers on his desk, glaring daggers into the side of his head as she did so. “These were meant to be signed _three weeks ago_! What could you be possibly doing down here on two hours of sleep?”

Tony sighed, beginning to feel a headache coming on. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I got distracted. You know, Pep, signing papers is really fucking boring. And it’s practically impossible when the kid’s here-”

“Oh no, don’t you dare drag Peter into this. You know he’d be more than happy to sit here while you signed these papers. Besides, you have loads of time when he’s not here to do them.” Pepper sighed, disappointment radiating from her as she shook her head a few times. “Just get them done, Tony. I can only deal with so many of your angry businessmen at once. Also get some sleep, for God’s sake.”

“Okay, I’ll get them done.” Tony was lying, he wasn’t even going to touch them. At least not tonight. He neglected to answer the latter half of her speech. “I’ll deal with the angry businessmen.”

“I know you wo-” Before Pepper could refute his obvious lie, FRIDAY interrupted her.

“Boss, I am sorry to interrupt but it appears Young Peter has triggered the emergency button on his watch and his vitals seem to be increasing rapidly.”

Tony’s heart practically stopped in his chest. “What?”

“Peter has sent a distress signal.” Tony had stood up somewhere between the sentence, already shutting everything down. Pepper backed away from him, concern replacing her anger as she watched Tony bustle around the lab. “The armor is on its way, Sir. ETA sixty seconds.”

“Tell him I’ve got the message.” He rushed, knowing Peter will get a small vibration that would tell him Tony was coming. “Tell me his vitals.”

“In the last five minutes, Young Peter’s breathing rate and heart rate have increased substantially. I believe he may be approaching a panic attack.”

“A panic attack?” Tony paled.

Peter had panic attacks?

_Peter was way too young for that shit. Far too young._

“I believe so. It also appears he has an injured shoulder and a mild concussion. However, the shoulder injury is old. I’ve connected with Karen, and Peter sustained this injury yesterday afternoon during patrol.”

“Why didn’t he tell me?” Tony muttered quietly to himself.

“Tony-” Pepper began, but he cut her off.

“This is the first time he’s triggered it. You know the kid; he never asks for help unless it’s really-”

“I get it Tony, go. The paperwork can wait.”

Tony sighed in relief and cupped her shoulder gently for a moment, before the armor was assembling around him. He was a little surprised by the intense fear he felt at the thought of Peter using the watch to ask for help.

Tony had explained every little function of that watch to the kid when he gave it to him, Peter having hung off of every word. Tony had sweat over that thing for _weeks_. The watch was specifically for non-Spider-Man emergencies, and this fact alone was why he was so frantic. As unrealistic as it was, he had been hoping Peter would never need to use it.

Tony was out of the tower and flying to the flashing red dot where the emergency alert was coming from.

“Bring up the location of his suit too.” Tony ordered, and FRIDAY brought up the location within seconds. “Where is he, Fri? What’s his vitals?”

“The current location of Young Peter’s watch is in a vacant building in the East of Queens. Both Young Peter’s watch and suit are in the same location.” FRIDAY replied quickly, Tony even noticing the urgency in his AI’s voice. “I am unable to read his vitals.”

Tony felt the panic increase, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. If the kid wasn’t Spider-Man right now, he wouldn’t do anything that would expose his identity. Evenif it meant almost getting himself killed. It was the kid’s only quality that frustrated Tony.

Peter had no self-preservation skills at _all._

“What do you mean you can’t read his vitals?”

“The watch is no longer on his wrist.”

_Fuck._

Tony tried not to think about the implications of that as he flew to the pinged location. It took around another ten minutes for him to arrive, and he wished he could get there faster. His next suit upgrade was going to be faster.

Tony flew into the building and landed with a loud thump, repulsors raised and ready to fight.

The place was empty, and there was no sign of the teen or anything else that could have been suspicious.

“Scan for heat signatures.” Tony mumbled, even though he couldn’t see anything but the large concrete pillars that kept the building up.

“There are no active heat signatures.” Even FRIDAY was beginning to sound concerned.

Tony looked around again, and his eyes soon locked on one of the concrete pillars. It had a large crack in it, and it looked recent. Pieces of the pillar surrounded it on the ground, along with some dust. Just in front of it was a glint of silver.

Tony rushed over as quickly as the suit would allow and bent down. Peter’s watch, in all of its glory, laid there without a scratch.

“Gather information from all available security cameras in the area.” Tony ordered yet again and picked up Peter’s watch at the same time. He had the suit open up to place it inside where it was safe, before he addressed his AI yet again. “Suit’s current location?”

FRIDAY brought up a new location with an ETA of three minutes. Fuck, what was he doing still standing here? Whoever had taken Peter was most definitely getting away right this second, and he was still standing in an empty warehouse like an idiot.

Tony took off immediately, pushing against all the armor’s limits to get to the new location as quickly as possible. When he reached it, the stone-cold feeling of dread filled his stomach when he realised the location was an alleyway on the very edge of Queens.

He landed on the ground with a thud, startling a homeless man that had been watching him with an open mouth. Tony paid him no attention as he headed into the alley, chewing on his lip anxiously as FRIDAY scanned the perimeter. It was disgusting, trash and puddles everywhere. The location of Peter’s suit was just in front of him, in a dumpster.

_Of course._

Tony stormed over and practically tore apart the dumpster, only to find Peter’s backpack shoved into the very bottom. Tony yanked it away from all the disgusting, splitting trash bags and stepped away. For a moment, he just stood there and stared at it.

Sure, Peter lost his backpacks all the time. But this time, it was obvious it had been put there by someone else. Tony knew the kid; he would never put it in the trash. Especially if the suit was inside of it.

Tony opened the teen’s backpack and pulled out its contents. Inside was Peter’s laptop, phone, schoolbooks, a failed chemistry test and his suit. Tony ran his covered thumbs over the mask, desperately wishing it was Peter’s face, desperately wishing the kid was right in front of him so the panic would cease.

Worry ate him alive as his mind ran a million miles an hour, knowing that all the things Tony had to track Peter were right here in his hands.

When he got Peter back, he was going to put a tracker on him that kidnappers couldn’t remove.

Tony turned back to the homeless man; whose eyes remained on him. He lifted his faceplate and walked over, Peter’s belongings in his arms.

“Excuse me.” Tony snapped unkindly, his patience a very thin line. “Did you see anyone dump these here?”

“Um- I’m not sure, s-sir. I only just g-got here.”

This caused Tony to swear loud enough to make the man jump. He felt a little guilty, but the fear of Peter’s life prevented him from apologising.

“Are you sure?” Tony growled, then looked around the alley. No security cameras at all. “I’m looking for my k- for someone. Are you _sure_ you didn’t see anyone put this here?”

“I-I’m sorry. I d-didn’t see anyone. T-this side of Queens is v-very empty, Mr. Stark.”

“Alright.” Tony replied and bit his lip. Then, another wave of anger hit him. _“Fuck!”_

Without a goodbye or a thank you to the homeless man, Tony took off. He didn’t look back once.

He kept Peter’s backpack in a secure hold as he hovered above the city for a few moments, at a complete loss of what to do. Without the suit or his phone, Tony had no way of tracking the kid’s whereabouts. From up here, everything looked the same, and whoever had taken him was probably far away by now.

Tony wasn’t sure how long he spent flying around the city, searching for suspicious activity as FRIDAY worked on getting all security footage with Peter’s facial recognition. It was too easy for him to hack all the security systems. The civilians should really work on that.

People waved at him as he passed, screaming in joy Tony wished he had. He ignored them all.

Peter was gone.

Tony had been ready to destroy a building when FRIDAY alerted him that a call was coming through. In his worry fuelled rage, he snapped.

“Who is it?” Tony growled, eyes still scanning the roads below. He knew it was a lost cause, whoever had taken Peter was long gone. “Tell who ever it is to fuck off-”

“It’s May Parker, Boss.”

Tony stopped mid-air. Literally.

“Put her through.”

May’s voice came through immediately, Tony’s internal panic increasing more and more as the minutes passed.

“Tony, is Peter with you?” Tony wanted to cry. “Wait, are you in the suit right now?”

“Yeah, I’m in the suit.” Tony cursed himself internally for the way his voice wobbled. Whatever anger he had feeling had subsided, leaving him only with… _parental_ anxiety? No. That couldn’t be it. “No, Pete’s not with me.”

“Tony,” May began, and just by her tone of voice Tony knew she’d noticed. “Are you alright?”

“Peter triggered the emergency button in his watch.” Tony murmured, the pause on the other side of the phone telling him that May had heard what he said. He began to fly again. “I left as soon as I got the alert, he wasn’t there anymore. His backpack was in a dumpster, everything was still in it. His phone, laptop, suit. Everything. Someone took the watch off of him.”

“And now what?” May exclaimed, the panic evident in her voice. “Tony?”

“He’s not here, May.” Tony sighed as he flew to the tower without the any of the urgency he previously had. “Fri’s almost finished hacking the security cameras right now, I have facial recognition running for Peter. It should be done by the time I get back to the tower. I’ve been looking for him all afternoon, May. I found _nothing._ ”

“Tony, what am I supposed to do?” May cried, causing Tony to wince from the distraught tone in her voice. “Where is he? He was supposed to come home, we were going to go out to dinner because he’s been patrolling every night this week!”

“I don’t know!” Tony exclaimed; the tower now visible. “May, I’m so sorry. I got there as fast as I could, but he was already gone. He was in some abandoned business building. I don’t know why; his watch was left there.”

“He was coming home.” May mumbled, Tony barely catching it over the wind from outside the suit. “Tony, what are we going to do? Do I file a missing persons-”

“I’ll handle it, I promise.” Tony replied, cutting her off. “I can have Happy bring you over to the tower while I look through the footage.”

“Alright.” May whispered, sounding so utterly defeated that it caused the reality of the situation to dawn on him.

Peter was, technically, _missing_ now. It had been hours Tony had received the alert and the kid was nowhere to be seen. Peter had vanished between the two locations, and it did nothing to help Tony’s weak heart.

His breath caught in his throat as he landed back in the tower, not sure when exactly his chest had begun to tighten Tony tried to fend off the panic attack as he stumbled on the helipad towards the door, though his breaths were coming out uneven.

Unintentionally, Tony dropped Peter’s backpack onto the floor as he stumbled into the penthouse and promptly fell out of the suit. He heard something clatter onto the floor, and he was pretty sure it was the kid’s laptop. When he glanced over, the laptop had opened up and smashed.

Fuck. He’d need to buy the kid a new one.

Tony landed on his hands and knees with a heavy thud, which caused his kneecaps and the palms of his hands to ache. However, Tony’s brain barely registered the pain as he clawed at his chest in desperate attempts to get air into his lungs. Distant memories of the arc reactor floated into his mind as he grabbed at the spot.

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice entered his ears. _When had she gotten here?_ “Tony, what happened?”

“I c-can’t-” Tony cut himself off. “Peter-”

“You need to breathe, Tony.” Pepper said gently, kneeling down in front of him. “FRIDAY?”

FRIDAY began to list of the surroundings, the date, the time and weather. Her gentle voice echoed around Tony’s head as he tried his hardest to get a hold of himself, to just _breathe._ Kneeling hunched over on the floor wasn’t going to help Peter, but as the black dots began to swim in his vision, he realised there was nothing else he could do.

Whoever had taken Peter had practically fucking wiped him off the side of the earth.

He wasn’t sure how long it took. He was pretty sure he might’ve passed out at some point, because when he opened his eyes he was on his back, staring up at the ceiling.

Once he was finally able to breath, tears pricked at the corners of his eyes despite how much he didn’t want them to. Pepper was there. She ran her hand through his hair while she whispered things he didn’t want to hear, though he leaned into the touch either way. When he wasn’t breathing so shallowly, he began to speak.

“What happened?” Tony mumbled; throat dry.

“You passed out, Tony.” Pepper replied sadly. “I’ll get you some water.”

Tony sat up, exhausted. Pepper left and returned within a few minutes, a glass of water in her hand. Tony took it, despite how humiliated he felt.

“Are you alright, Tony?” Pepper asked after a short while. “What… what happened?”

“He wasn’t there, Pep.” Tony whispered. Pepper stayed with him on the floor. “May- she’s still on call-”

“I have explained to Ms. Parker your current situation, she agreed to end the call. I have alerted Happy of the current situation and he is already on his way. I believe they will arrive in an hour.”

“Thanks, baby girl.” Tony sighed. “Pep, he was gone. I need to check the footage.”

“Footage?” Pepper asked as she helped him stand. Tony swayed on his feet for a moment, vision blurring. _Shit._ “Tony, you need to sl-”

“Security cameras. I need to find out why he was there.” Tony cut her off.

“Tony, you can’t-”

“I have to!” Tony interrupted immediately and shook Pepper’s hand away. He headed over to the lift. “I need to look for him.”

“I wasn’t going to say you shouldn’t.” Pepper refuted, concerned gaze pointed in Tony’s direction. “You need to calm down first. You just passed out- At least wait until May gets here?”

The thing was, Tony didn’t _want_ to wait. Someone had taken Peter, that much was obvious. Peter would never trigger that watch for no reason, and he would never scare Tony like this intentionally. Never.

“Seriously, Tony.” Pepper sighed and caressed his cheek. “Panicking won’t help him.”

“Neither is sitting here doing nothing.” Tony replied before he heaved in a shallow and shaky breath. “Pep, you know what he’s like. He’d never do that unless it was urgent. This isn’t about me.”

“I know that. All I’m saying is take a breath. You have to stay calm.” Pepper smiled softly, though it seemed more fake than real. It looked very forced. “Especially when May gets here. You both have to keep calm if you’re going to get through this.”

“Fri.” Tony mumbled, ignoring Pepper’s words for the moment. “Update on the security cameras?”

“Ninety-five percent complete.”

“Fuck.” Tony wheezed and clutched at his chest again. “I can’t see May.”

“Yes, you can. Come on.” Pepper helped him to his feet and essentially dragged him over to the couch. “I know you’re worried about him, so am I. May won’t blame you for this, it’s not your fault.”

Tony tried to get off the couch but paused when Pepper glared at him. “I wasn’t fast enough. I need to go look at the footage, the security cameras in the building could have caught what happened-”

“When FRIDAY’s finished, you can go. Just sit. You need to calm down before you have another panic attack.”

Tony _hated_ the way she said that.

Instead of arguing, Tony closed his eyes and leant into the couch.

He was sure he’d never felt this worried in his life.

Even in Afghanistan, or the wormhole. That’s because it was him, and he didn’t care that much if he died. But this was Peter. A kid.

There had been times when Tony felt something similar to this. When Pepper almost died, when Wanda fed him those visions of his friends dying. When Rhodey fell. The ferry Peter almost sank, the plane, and the time Peter got stuck under a crushed building and didn’t tell Tony about it until months later.

Sure, Peter had gotten stabbed on patrol once and Tony had lost his head a bit. Watching the kid scream on the operating table was something he didn’t want to relive.

But for some reason, the panic he felt this time wasn’t the same. This was genuine, full-blown panic, because the kid wasn’t here with him right now.

Tony loathed the unknown.

He sat there on the couch, restless, anxiety constantly vibrating throughout his body as he waited for both May to arrive and FRIDAY to finish gathering footage. May arrived first, basically running over to Tony, her own worry only multiplying Tony’s.

He wasn’t expecting May to sit down beside him and grab his hand. She held it tight in her own, Tony’s eyes focussed on the tiled floor rather than hers. He couldn’t look at her, let alone speak to her. It barely felt like his body was functioning.

They had small talk with Pepper right up until FRIDAY politely interrupted them. They seemed to be ignoring the main focus of _why_ May was here, and _why_ Tony had passed out on his penthouse floor.

“Boss, the footage is ready.”

Tony was up in an instant, lip caught in his upper teeth.

“Do you want to watch with me?” Tony asked May, who was already shaking her head. This confused Tony a little, but he didn’t argue. If he was honest, he didn’t want to watch either. He was terrified of what he might find. “I’ll let you know what I find.”

“Thank you.”

With that, Tony took off to the lift. Within minutes he was inside of his lab, sitting in front of the holograms that FRIDAY had prepared for him already.

“I have found several matches to Young Peter as of three thirty this afternoon. Would you like me to show them to you?”

Tony nodded, and the AI quickly brought up some grainy footage from what Tony thought might be some cheap restaurant. He watched Peter walk past the camera, earbuds in, presumably heading to the subway like he did most days after school. Usually, Happy would pick him up on the days he wasn’t patrolling.

Then, the camera switched to a different one, Peter was on another street. There was nothing out of the ordinary, Tony only receiving a glimpse of his kid as he walked past the security camera.

There were multiple clips of the same action. Tony wanted to reach through the screen and grab his kid to yank him away from the danger he did not know of just yet. Maybe the kid just… got lost or something?

He shook his head at the thought. Was he stupid? Peter wouldn’t get lost on a route he used to take every single day before and after school. He would never take that watch off unless it was absolutely necessary. Tony had even made it waterproof.

The more Tony watched, the more he began to realise Peter wasn’t on the streets he should be on. This wasn’t his usual route, though the surroundings looked the same. When he noticed this, he began to sweat a little. Something was wrong here, because Tony was surethat those particular streets did not look like that.

“Wait.” FRIDAY stopped the clip immediately and zoomed in to where Tony had pointed. “Who is that?”

A man stood in the background, face partially obscured by the hat he was wearing. The footage was far too blurry for him to see a face, and he suspected that the man was also wearing sunglasses. Whoever he was, he didn’t fit in with the rest of the civilians. He had also been staring directly at Peter.

“I believe you will want to look at this.” FRIDAY said, ignoring the question and bringing up footage from the subway.

Tony watched as Peter stood on the platform, necked craned over his phone as if he wanted to appear busy. Just from the blurry footage alone Tony could tell that the boy was nervous.

Peter would never press that button if he wasn’t in trouble. The kid had a serious issue with asking for help, and it took a lot for him to do so. The kid also wouldn’t leave his backpack lying around in a dumpster _with_ the suit inside of it. Seeing Peter now in this shitty security camera footage, he looked completely fine, but anxious.

Tony regretted thinking that no more than two seconds later when a figure came up beside his kid and stopped. Tony recognised the person immediately. It was the same person that had been in the other clip, dressed head-to-toe in black and had been watching Peter from afar.

The man proceeded to clap a hand on Peter’s shoulder, which caused the teen to jump in fright and drop his phone. Nothing particularly alarming happened until Peter’s posture changed. Now, he looked even more anxious than he had been a few minutes ago. Whatever the man was saying, it was making his kid extremely nervous. Tony’s blood began to boil.

Tony watched as Peter then hurried off, only to stop as though he had run into something. He frowned, leaning a little closer to see the other man inch towards his kid, his face still hidden. Peter was looking at the space in front of him, before he tried to run again.

He couldn’t hold in the gasp when Peter slammed into something a second time, much harder than the first which sent his body sprawling on the floor. Just visible in the corner of the screen, Tony could see a large grey and blue crack floating mid-air.

As the clip progressed, Tony gaped as Peter scrambled to his feet, only to be shot by a fucking tranquiliser dart. In the blink of an eye, his kid was back on the floor, unconscious.

It didn’t end there.

Tony was smacked in the face with realisation as he watched the subway - _what he thought was the subway_ \- drain away under blue light. The crack hadn’t been floating mid-air, it had been on the pillar that Tony had seen in the empty warehouse.

Peter had run into a fucking _concrete pillar._ Behind the man, a drone was revealed, though it was nowhere near of high standard as Tony’s. Another hovered above Peter’s body, guarding him.

Two people came into frame, one of them unclasping the watch from Peter’s wrist and dumped it on the floor where Tony had found it. They were both men, though one looked familiar, even through the horrible quality.

“Get facial recognition!” Tony said as he watched on.

The two of them proceeded to pick up Peter’s unconscious body and take him out of frame.

Profiles appeared in front of him. Tony’s jaw clamped shut.

Gutes Guterman and William Ginter Riva.

They were both ex-employees of Stark Industries. Tony knew, because he had fired them.

The man, the man Tony was pretty sure he now knew the identity of, looked directly at the security camera and smirked. Then, he gave the camera a thumbs up and disappeared. Tony didn’t need facial recognition for it to click who the bastard was that stole his kid.

“Son of a bitch!” Tony screamed as he grabbed his box of tools and hurled it across the room in a sudden fit of anger. “Fuck!”

There was only one other person on this earth that could possess technology like that.

_Quentin Beck._

Tony hadn’t seen that idiot in years. He had fired him years ago since the man wouldn’t stop harassing him about the fucking name of his tech, and Tony had taken matters into his own hands and fired the bastard before he could do anything detrimental to the company. He wasn’t sure who allowed the idiot to be employed, but he had constantly acted like he was braindead. Even Pepper agreed that he should be fired.

Now, he had Tony’s kid, his tech and some knock-off drones.

Why would he even think of taking Peter?

Beck had led his kid to what he thought was the subway, when in reality, it was some old empty building. Tony kicked the table leg, the sheer worry for his kid fuelling his anger as he swore again.

Tony’s stomach filled with the familiar feeling of dread. Quentin Beck wouldn’t just steal some random kid of the street, he would steal Peter because he had ties to Tony. Tony struggled to think of any other reason why Beck would want to take his kid.

“FRIDAY.” Tony snapped as he slumped back into his chair, eyebrows furrowed. “Is there anymore footage?”

“I’m afraid not. All other footage is similar to what I have shown you, and anything after this event has been terminated or does not exist at all. Would you like me to run facial recognition on these people?”

Tony already knew who the main instigator of this whole operation was, but nodded, nonetheless.

Because either way, when Tony found Beck, he was _dead._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would love to hear your thoughts on this fic so far :))))
> 
> thank you sm for reading!!!


	3. You Weren't Worth it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm quite happy with this chapter! i hope y'all like it 
> 
> trigger warning for a panic attack and injuries
> 
> enjoy!!

“Fuck off! Let me go!”

Peter had been dreaming of nothing when he was startled awake to someone screaming.

The voice was loud and aggressive, and it vibrated around Peter’s head painfully as he tried to gather his bearings. They echoed off the walls, Peter’s headache making a reappearance as he tried to open his eyes. He felt just as shitty as he had before he went to sleep, and the nausea was back. He had been feeling better, but now, he felt just like he did when he woke up the first time.

Whatever it was they had drugged him with, it didn’t seem to be going away. That thought alone had him almost puking all over his cell for a second time. The only explanation he had was that he was injected while he slept, but there was no way he could sleep through that. His senses would have warned him, or he would have woken up from the pain.

“Fuck, get off of me!” The person, a male voice, yelled again. For a moment, Peter’s groggy mind didn’t recognise the voice until they yelled another time. “I said let go of me!”

Peter knew that voice anywhere, and the feeling of both panic and relief swarmed into his chest at the same time.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter whispered in disbelief and forced his eyes to open.

Directly in front of him was three people. When his eyes focussed, his jaw fell slack at the sight of his mentor, beaten and bloody between Victoria and a man he had never seen before. Tony was still inside the suit, however it looked broken beyond repair.

There was a camera set up in the corner of the room, but Peter paid it no mind when he realised that Tony was restrained in handcuffs.

Peter scrambled to his feet and staggered over to the other side of the cell, pointedly ignoring the way his stomach protested against the movement. He gripped onto the bars to hold himself up as he watched Tony struggle.

“Mr. Stark! Hey, let him go!”

“For fucks sake!” Tony screamed and pulled violently on Victoria’s arm. She didn’t budge, which caused Peter to frown. Surely Tony was stronger than this random woman.

“Let him go!” Peter cried out again, worry increasing by the minute as he reached through the bars with desperate grabbing motions. Then, he tried to pull on the bars for a second time, willing his powers to bend the metal back. Nothing happened, and Peter felt even more powerless than he had before.

Peter looked back at Tony. The man wasn’t looking at him, and instead his intense glare was pointed at the other man Peter didn’t know.

Tony looked like complete, and utter, _shit._

Almost the entire left side of his body was destroyed, both the suit and his skin. It almost looked like his skin had been burnt, the wound extending from the side of his face all the way down to his hip. The sight made everything left in his stomach churn violently as blood trickled out of the destroyed skin and dripped onto the floor. Just looking at Tony’s singed skin made Peter _smell_ it.

There were multiple small puddles of blood where Tony was standing, and Peter couldn’t stand the sight. Tony shouldn’t even be alive with all that blood loss.

No, Peter wasn’t an expert, but he was pretty sure Tony shouldn’t be able to move the left side of his body from the way it was injured. Tony looked completely mangled, as if an explosion had hit the left side of his body. However, it appeared that he didn’t even seem affected by the pain.

Despite the lack of visible hurt on his mentor’s face, Peter had never seen his mentor so injured.

Maybe in his nightmares, but _never_ in real life.

This is what brought the tears to his eyes, but he forced them away before they could fall. He could _not_ cry here.

“What did you do to him?” Peter yelled; fists still clenched tight around the cell bars. It was mostly to hold himself up, since it felt like his legs were going to give out at any moment. “Mr. Stark!”

Why was Tony here, and what the fuck had happened to him?

“Shut up!” The unknown man yelled, Peter jumping back just slightly at the volume of his voice. The man was hardly intimidating, he looked older and even shorter than Tony. He wore glasses that were too big for his face and had a hideous moustache to go with it. “Speak again and he’ll die right here.”

Peter’s mouth clamped shut, and despite how much he didn’t want to, he felt scared. He had no idea what these people were capable of, and this stranger could very well have some kind of powers. Everything was so much more terrifying now that there was someone he cared about right in front of him, covered head to toe in blood.

However, despite the very obvious threat, Peter didn’t back away from the bars. He was unable to look away from Tony, who continued to struggle against his captors without any kind of reaction to the pain he had to be feeling. The wounds looked like agony.

There was under a minute of silence before movement suddenly erupted within the room. Before Peter could even blink, Tony was being dragged away.

“Beck’s waiting for him.” Peter heard the man utter to Victoria, who nodded in response. No more words were spoken as they began to drag Tony across the dirty floor.

“No!” Peter gasped; all threats forgotten as he strained against the bars to get to his mentor. He had almost instantly forgotten the threat as he tried to reach out, only to wince when his muscles screamed in pain. “No! Where are you taking him? Let him go! Take me instead!”

Tony looked at him this time. Peter was unable to stop the flinch when the man glared and shook his head a few times.

Disappointment radiated off of Tony, which made Peter fall silent. Then, he realised he shouldn’t have spoken. Peter wished he was lying, but his mentor looked terrifying with the blood covering his face, clothes and suit like that.

“Mr. Stark…” Peter trailed, wishing Tony would stop looking at him like that. “I’m s-sorry.”

Tony shook his head again, then winced, as if it hurt him to do so. “I shouldn’t have come to get you, Peter. Didn’t you hear the threat? I’m going to die.”

The way Tony spoke sounded _nothing_ like the man Peter knew.

Peter’s stomach lurched. “T-Tony-”

“No, kid, it wasn’t worth it. You weren’t worth it!” Tony launched at him, Victoria and the man barely able to hold him back. Peter fell backwards onto his ass, his stomach quickly working to bring up whatever was left in his stomach from the sheer fright of it all. He held it in as Tony scowled down at him, bloodshot eyes boring right into Peter’s. Blood continued to drip onto the floor. “It’s your fault I’m going to die.”

“I’m sorry!” Peter said again, tears quickly making a reappearance.

Fuck. He wasn’t supposed to speak.

“I-”

“Enough of this.” The unnamed man snapped and yanked Tony backwards. Tony screamed in outright fury, legs immediately beginning to kick at the floor as he was dragged away. There was a blood trail on the floor, and if Peter was honest, it looked like someone had just been murdered right there.

Peter called after them, before he gagged and threw up in his lap.

Tony had said it already. _It was his fault._

Usually, Tony would tell him it wasn’t his fault. That things like this could never be his fault and triggering his watch or having Karen call him was nothing to be ashamed of. Tony always told him to tell him when something was wrong because he wantedto help Peter and keep him safe.

Well, that’s what Peter had thought.

Peter curled up on his side, ignoring the vomit and hugged his knees close to his chest. He couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the wall, his super hearing was all fucked up along with the rest of his powers. All he could hear was his own heart pounding in his ears, along with the uneven breaths he was taking. His entire body trembled; Tony’s angry and bloody face imprinted on his mind as he tried so desperately not to cry.

What had they done to him to make him look like that? His skin, the burns, all the blood…

Peter retched so violently his whole body shuddered. However, nothing came up.

He wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to the Tony that still loved him, because it was pretty evident the man hated him now. Peter didn’t even know if Tony ever loved him.

Peter had still yelled after him, despite the stranger’s threat that if he spoke Tony would die.

_You weren’t worth it._

“Yikes, kid.” Beck’s voice made Peter startle, a quiet whimper leaving his mouth involuntarily.

Peter had no idea when the man had entered the room, or if he had been there the entire time. He had been so focussed on Tony that he didn’t see anything else.

He moved his head just enough to see Beck by the camera he had noticed earlier. He took it off of the tripod to fiddle with it, and soon the red light stopped flashing. Then, Beck sighed in a way as though he was satisfied.

“Guess you’re not his favourite sonanymore. Don’t worry, he’ll be dead before you can apologise. You should have listened to William’s threat. Poor kid. You haven’t been kidnapped before, have you?”

Peter didn’t answer, and instead he curled up more and hid his face. Guilt ate him from the inside, tears trying to force their way out of his eyes. The stench of his vomit and Tony’s burnt skin lingered, but he forced himself to ignore it. They were going to kill Tony and it was _his fault._

But Tony couldn’t die. He was… Tony. Even when he had gone missing when Peter was just a kid, he never believed his idol was dead. Iron Man couldn’t die. Tony had saved him at the StarkExpo, because that was what Tony did. He _saved_ people.

Peter refused to accept that he could die.

Seeing him just minutes ago proved that. Tony looked like a walking corpse, yet he didn’t even look fazed. Peter had no idea how that was possible.

But now Tony would die, and it was Peter’s fault because he never shut up.

_“Shut up, Penis! No one wants to hear you talk!”_

Peter wasn’t so sure why Flash’s voice echoed around his head, but the words held truth behind them now. Peter hadn’t kept his mouth shut, and now Tony was going to pay the price.

“Still not much of a talker. I see. I’ll get it out of you eventually.” Beck growled and fiddled with the camera some more. Then, he looked at Peter. “Wow, you stink.”

Peter wanted to scream at him, but there was a lump in his throat that prevented him from doing so.

“Victoria!” Beck said in a sickeningly sweet voice, Victoria practically materialising in the room, rapt with attention. How eager she was to please Beck made Peter sick. “Would you like to get Pete here some new clothes?”

“Of course!” Victoria replied, just as sweetly, and turned to Peter with that same kind gaze she had given him the day before.

At least, Peter thought it was a day ago. It sure felt like it.

“Looks like you’ve made quite a mess.” She cooed, and Peter wanted to spit in her face.

She just helped dragged his beaten mentor out of the room, how could she look at him like that? It was just as possible that Beck had already killed Tony, and here she was, talking to him like he was merely a toddler. “Don’t worry, honey, I’ll find you a new change of clothes. It mustn’t be nice sitting in your sick, hm?”

Peter hated how nice she sounded, after what she had just done.

He hated how genuineshe appeared to be.

It reminded him of May.

At the thought of his Aunt, the tears came back in full force. Oh, how he wanted to be back in his apartment in her arms. He would give anything to time travel back to after school when he and Ned were arguing about the party, when that was his biggest concern.

Now, Tony was dead because of him, and if he was stuck without his powers it was unlikely he’d be able to find a way out of this stupid cell, let alone wherever Beck had taken him.

He wasn’t sure how long he was sitting in his own vomit before Victoria returned, Beck having remained in the room the entire time. The man constantly switched between fiddling with that stupid fucking camera and observing Peter like an animal.

A new shirt and pants were tossed onto him and landed on his head. Peter slowly sat up; his muscles weak as he backed up into his usual place at the back of the cell. He dragged the clothes with him, locking onto Beck with what he hoped was an angry expression.

The man peered at him and _smiled._

“Ah, kid.” Beck sighed, shaking his head. “You’re a lot more gullible than I thought.”

“What?” Peter spat, the tears blurring his vision.

Tony was going to die because of him. Maybe he was already dead. Peter hadn’t heard anything, but then again, how could he? His powers were gone.

“You’ll find out soon enough. Get changed, you reek. I’ll have someone clean up in here later.”

“Fuck you.” Peter mumbled and huddled closer to himself.

Beck seemed to hear him, because the man let out a surprised laugh. He never said anything, though, because seconds later the door was closed, and Peter was left alone.

Peter changed himself rather slowly, his entire body protesting against the movement. He was in a plain white t-shirt and grey sweats, almost identical to the outfit he’d usually wear to bed when he stayed over at Tony’s. He had a feeling he was being watched, but found he couldn’t give less of a fuck.

Tony was dead.

Peter shoved his head in his knees, curling up into a ball where he sat.

Then, the tears came back.

This time he let them fall. He felt like a baby as he laid there, crying into his knees, the familiar feeling of grief clouding his thoughts. His chest became tight, a broken sob forcing it way out of his mouth only a moment later. The reality of the situation dawned on him, and it wasn’t long before he had gone into a full-blown panic attack.

He couldn’t breathe. He clawed at his chest, vaguely thinking that he should use Tony’s method to calm himself down. But that made him think of Tony, which reminded him that his mentor was most likely dead. That he’d gotten him killed.

He couldn’t do this here. He shouldn’t be crying here, his captors were watching him, probably basking in the fact they’d made Peter break in such a short period time.

Eventually, Peter’s body gave up on him, and black dots began to appear in his vision.

It wasn’t long before the unconsciousness took over, and the world around him was engulfed in darkness.

-

For a moment, Peter forgot where he was when he came to.

Someone was wiping his face, their touch tender and soft against his skin. They held some kind of damp cloth, Peter trying to force his eyes open as he leaned into the touch. The cool sensation of the cloth soothed his pounding headache, eyebrows furrowed when the person cupped his cheek with their hand and rubbed their thumb in small circles.

The second thing his mind registered was a slight twinge in his bladder.

Peter’s eyes were practically stuck together with sleep, or maybe dried tears, his nose clogged with snot. He took shallow and quick breaths through his mouth, confusion causing his heart to race as he tried to remember what was going on and where he was.

“Shh, honey. It’s alright.” The person’s, a woman, voice was distant, almost like they were underwater. Peter whimpered quietly at the gentle sound of her voice, turning his head to the side as he tried to force his heavy lids to open.

The person continued to wipe his face down, shushing him, Peter becoming more and more confused as the time passed. At the same time, he was becoming more alert, memories from when he had last been awake surging into his mind all at once.

“T-Tony…” Peter whimpered, the mental image of his mentor’s bloody face displayed right in front of him. “M-May…”

God, Tony was dead.

He’d gotten Tony killed.

“Shh, sweetheart.” The woman cooed again; Peter gradually able to peel his eyes open. The room around him was dark, the now-familiar sight of metal bars appearing in his vision. Right, he was inside of a cell. “Oh, honey. I wish we didn’t have to do this to you. You have such a sweet face. I knew it wouldn’t take very long for us to break you.”

Peter’s eyes lazily moved to who was speaking to him.

Victoria.

Peter flinched violently away from her touch, ignoring the pain in his muscles as he pushed her away. Victoria, however, didn’t seem surprised by his sudden awareness, merely letting herself get shoved away.

He scrambled to the corner of the cell, pulling his knees to his chest, locking eyes with Victoria who had one of those kind smiles on her face.

“Stay a-away from me.” Peter tried to yell, but it came out more of a whine. “Where’s Mr. Stark? What did y-you do?”

Peter’s tone was increasing in octaves as he spoke, his chest tightening yet again.

“I can’t tell you that, Peter.” Victoria replied, her expression not faltering. Peter couldn’t read her expression or see any emotion other than kindness in her eyes. She looked fake, almost like one of those creepy dolls he’d seen in toy shops. “You’ll learn soon enough.”

Now that the woman was actually inside of the cell with him, Peter felt worse. She could do whatever she wanted, because essentially, he was powerless. His body hurt so much it made the dam in his eyes want to break again, his stomach still nauseas and his head still pounding.

He just wanted everything to stop.

“Let me go.” Peter pleaded, silently hating himself for how it had come out of his mouth. “J-just let me out!”

Victoria shook her head. “I know you’re a good kid, Peter. But even that won’t get in the way of what we want.”

What they want?

What the fuck did they even want with him? He didn’t even know these people!

Peter had no time to ask, because Victoria was standing and exiting the cell. The teen scrambled across the floor when he saw the cell door was, in fact, open, in a desperate attempt to escape. It was useless, the drug slowing his movements down and making his body hurt so bad he faltered halfway, falling heavily onto the concrete.

Victoria just smiled at him as she locked him in the cell and left the room entirely without another word.

And yet again, Peter was back to being alone.

Once he gathered enough strength, Peter pushed himself back into the corner. From here, he could see everything in the room. The light still barely illuminated things, but he could see two doors and that was it. No windows, no furniture. Nothing.

All his vomit had been cleaned up, and the room smelt vaguely of cleaning supplies. Did they really care enough to use actual cleaning products on their victim’s cell?

Peter’s eyes snapped to where Tony had been dragged. All traces of blood were gone.

He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but it made the grief come either way.

He shook his head and tried to think about something else.

Peter had no idea how long he had been stuck here. Already, it felt like a week, but he was sure it only had to be a day or two.

He wondered if his friends were worried, if May was worried, if Tony…

_Tony._

Every thought brought him back to his mentor, no matter how hard he tried.

Peter tried to ignore the memories, he tried to stop the grief from surging up his throat. The tears filled his eyes nonetheless, and soon, they were trickling down his cheeks before he could gather his composure. The thought of never seeing Tony again was consuming him the more he sat here to think, and the only thing he could see was the disappointment on his mentor’s face.

The words Tony had said echoed through his head on a constant loop.

Peter had really fucked up this time.

He didn’t even know if Tony was dead or not, but his mind always went to the worst-case scenario.

But was there really any other scenario?

Before he could torture himself some more, the door opened.

Beck sauntered into the room as if he owned it, grinning with glee like he’d just won the lottery. He also held a plate of food in his hands.

Peter hugged himself tighter, hoping the tears wouldn’t be visible in the dim light.

The man’s gaze zeroed in on him, head tilting to the side just slightly.

“Wow.” Beck commented, tone also filled with that same glee displayed on his face. “You really are pathetic; I didn’t think you’d actuallybelieve it. Your files tell me you’re a smart one, but from the looks of it...”

Peter just stared in confusion, words all meshing into one as Beck unlocked the cell. His files?

“What?” He managed to ask, not even bothering to try and move. He knew he would collapse halfway.

_That fucking drug._

Beck approached him slowly, as if Peter were nothing more than a panicked animal. He knelt down directly in front of him and placed the plate of food down. Peter didn’t look at it, too scared that if he looked away from Beck’s eyes for even a second, the man would do something.

His heart began race exceptionally fast as Beck then reached out and cupped his cheek, just as Victoria had been doing.

Peter flinched away from the touch, though Beck proceeded to wipe a tear off of his face as if this was any normal occurrence. His touch was gentle, almost as gentle as when May or Tony would wipe his tears. It was just as gentle as Victoria had as well.

Gentle wasn’t a word that should ever be associated with Beck.

“So, Spider-Man.” Beck trailed, still wiping tears from Peter’s cheeks as if he actually cared. Peter flinched at the reminder that everyone here knew of his identity. “What does Stark see in you, other than, you know…”

“You k-killed him.” Peter whimpered, the grief returning at full force. All he could do was submit to Beck’s touch, unable to stop the tears. He was showing weakness, and Beck seemed to be elated by it. The man swiped another tear off his cheek before he smiled.

“Hm. I guess I did.” The confirmation made Peter felt like he’d been punched in the gut. “I’d like you to come with me. We have a few questions for you. But first, eat.”

For the first time, Peter looked down at the plate.

It was scrambled eggs.

“Go on, eat. It won’t bite.”

Now that the food was in front of him, Peter realised how hungry he was.

With a wary glance to Beck, he took the plate and used his hands to eat. He hadn’t been provided with a fork or anything, so his hands were the only option.

He ate quick, which only made him feel sick. But he ignored it, along with Beck’s gaze, and wolfed down the food so the plate was clean. There might not be another chance to eat, so he couldn’t miss this one.

Once he was finished, Beck immediately yanked Peter up from the floor. He cried out as he was dragged from the cell and into the same room Tony had been taken into. A bundle of panic captured his heart as he closed his eyes, not wanting to see the sight that would surely be waiting for him.

He let himself get led in blind, his wrists soon restrained by chains that were attached to the roof, ankle restraints following. The position made his body hurt so much the tears returned in full force, a quiet sob leaving his mouth as a hand once again cupped his cheek.

“You can open your eyes, kid.”

Peter didn’t trust him.

He kept them firmly closed, save for the tears managing to slip through.

“I appreciate that you tried to keep your composure, I really do. Even I thought you’d be a little harder to break.” Beck mumbled, some shuffling following. “Open your eyes, Peter.”

When he didn’t, Beck’s tone became angry.

“Peter. Open your eyes.”

Finally, Peter relented, anticipating a bloody sight in front of him. However, there was nothing of the sort. No blood, no body, no Tony. The room was empty, aside from a metal table that seemed to be fused into the floor.

Peter squinted from the light. It was much brighter in here than the room with his cell, and it was much bigger. It looked like some old basement. There were no windows either.

“Ah, there we are!” Beck enthused, clapping Peter on the shoulder. The motion made Peter’s body jolt, his mind swimming with dizziness for a few seconds. When the dizziness passed, Beck’s smirking face came back into view.

Peter couldn’t stop himself from speaking.

“What did you d-do to Mr. Stark?”

“I’m glad you mentioned him.” Beck replied, ignoring the question. “You see, Pete, _Mr. Stark_ and I have a _long_ history.”

Peter hated the way Beck mocked him, his voice rising in pitch when saying Tony’s name. Tears continued to pour down his cheeks as he looked anywhere but Beck, wishing desperately that Tony was still here and didn’t hate him the way he did the last time Peter saw him.

“Stark stole something from me.” Beck continued, letting out a deep sigh and rested his hands on his hips. “He took my life’s work and made a mockery of it. How does that make you feel, Peter?”

Peter remained tight-lipped; chin resting on his chest. He stared at the cuffs around his ankles, unable to keep his head up any longer.

The twinge in his bladder was beginning to be more than a twinge, and it had been easy to ignore right up until this point. They wouldn’t let him piss himself… right? They had given him food, so surely he’d be able to get a bathroom break.

“You were so talkative!” Beck snarked with false happiness. Peter could see right through him. “Oh, kid. You’re far too precious. Even when Stark’s dead you’re sticking up for the bastard.”

“S-stop, please.” Peter mumbled, the tears continuing to leak down his cheeks. Starkand deaddid not fit in the same sentence.

“My life’s work, Peter. Do you have any idea how that feels?”

He didn’t respond.

“I didn’t think you would, since you’re just a child. I guess I can’t blame you for that one.” Beck sighed. “So, Peter. How did you meet Stark? Was it through Spider-Man? I know you’re not his kid. I know about your entire life, Parker. It’s amazing how technology can get you things you want.”

When Peter didn’t answer, Beck seemed to become more agitated. The tears continued to flow freely despite how hard he tried not to cry.

Tony couldn’t possibly be dead.

“Your parents died in a plane crash; your uncle got shot.” Beck listed and Peter winced. “Must suck, kid, losing nearly everybody you love. Grief is tough, I’d assume.”

“Stop.” Peter mumbled, not wanting to hear about several of the worst moments in his life. Even if he didn’t remember his parents, well, at all, that hole was still there. It felt like all four chambers of his heart had been ripped out. His parents, Ben, Tony. “What d-do you want?”

“I want you to know how Stark ruined my life.” Beck laughed, as if it were funny. “He named it BARF. Made a mockery of my technology. That man you idolise is nothing but a selfish prick. There had to be something about you that made him keep you around.”

Peter wanted to vomit again. The food he had just eaten swirled around uncomfortably in his stomach, but he forced himself to ignore it.

“I’ll get through to you eventually. I know I will. You’re terribly easy to fool, kid.” Peter lifted his head up at this, eyebrows furrowed in both anger and confusion. He had no idea what this nutcase was talking about. All he wanted was to go home. “In the meantime, I’m gonna let you hang here. Your body is quite sore, am I wrong?”

Peter let his head drop back to his chest.

“Thought so. See you in a bit.” Peter watched Beck leave, letting his body slump against the restraints in defeat.

Peter just stood there, muscles throbbing, grief eating away at his heart.

The room was as empty as he felt.

He was alone, and no one would be coming to get him. Tony was gone.

Peter was fucked.

And for the first time in his life, Peter genuinely wished that he were dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to clarify: tony's 'injuries' are the injuries he got from endgame after the snap. i hope i got that across... i tried to make it a little gorier whoopsie
> 
> poor peter, am i right?
> 
> thanks for reading!!!


	4. Very Much Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor peter. that's all i have to say
> 
> sorry if there is any mistakes i rushed to edit this
> 
> hope you enjoy!!

Peter wasn’t sure how long he stood there, arms above his head and legs chained to the floor. His entire body pulsed with that constant ache; the tears having come to a halt a long time ago.

Currently, he was distracted with trying not to cross his legs. His bladder was throbbing along with the rest of his body, Peter knowing he had to have been stuck here for hours if he needed to pee so bad. The thought of pissing himself made him want to burst into tears all over again, and he had a pretty bad feeling that Beck would be elated with his pain.

He was also starving and exhausted, but those were merely in the background.

It was at this moment that Beck came back into the room, dressed in different clothes and had wet hair. It looked like the man had jumped right out of a fashion magazine photoshoot. He didn’t fit in with the dirty environment at all.

“How’s it hanging, Spider-Man?” Beck asked, making Peter want to spit on his expensive looking shoes. For someone who kept Peter down in a dirty old basement, Beck looked like he had money. Well, Peter assumed it was a basement. He could be anywhere right now. “I’ve come to ask you some more questions.”

Peter wanted to move, but the more he moved the more his bladder begged and the more his body ached.

“Looking a little worried there.” Beck commented, which provoked Peter to meet the man’s eye. He had a strong feeling that the man knew what was wrong. “Something wrong?”

“Go away.” Peter grumbled out of pure agitation. “I’m not answering any of your stupid questions.”

“Hm.” Beck hummed, eyeing him for a moment. “A bit irritated, are we? Missing your father? Well, he’s not your father. Is it more of a mentor kind of thing isn’t it?”

Peter’s agitation front fell pretty quickly at the mention of Tony. Beck continued to hover around him while typing away on some kind of device that was attached to his wrist.

“Alright, Pete.” Beck snapped suddenly and loudly, causing Peter to jolt then wince. “I’ve told you about what Stark did to me. Now, I’d like to know how you met him and why he kept you around. I’m pretty sure I already know, but I want to hear it from you. It makes this whole thing a lot more interesting.”

“Why?” Peter asked, trying his hardest to ignore both the grief and the pulsing in his bladder. Beck worked as the perfect distraction, the man pacing back and forth in front of him.

“He has something I want.” Beck sighed. “You’re the perfect leverage in getting me what I want.”

This had Peter confused. Beck wouldn’t need leverage if Tony was already dead.

“I think I have a way for you to get talking.” Beck said after a long pause, smirking at Peter. He looked excited, which led Peter to dread what was coming. Whatever it was Beck had, he was sure he wasn’t going to like it. “Bring them in!”

Peter’s head snapped to the opening door as quick as his pained neck would allow, jaw becoming slack as his eyes found Victoria and William. They weren’t alone, though.

“No!” Peter cried out and immediately pulled on his restraints. MJ and Ned were dragged into the room, both their terrified faces wet with tears. Their eyes landed on him at the same time, and Peter found that he couldn’t meet their eyes. “N-no, let them go! They don’t have anything to do with this!”

Panic encased Peter’s heart immediately as his friends were violently yanked to the middle of the room, a quiet cry coming from MJ as she was handled violently by William. Peter never wanted to hear that sound again.

“I need answers, kid. I need them from you, just to make sure my observations are correct.” Beck replied, circling around MJ and Ned as if they were some kind of prey. The look on his face was terrifying, the tears returning to his eyes quickly as he strained. In the background, his bladder continued to ache and beg, but now it was barely an afterthought. “You better get talking.”

_He’d already gotten Tony killed. Not his friends too._

MJ was looking right at him, eyes filled with betrayal. Peter couldn’t look at her, gut churning as his chest closed in. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be _real._

“P-Peter…” Ned whimpered a moment later, catching Peter’s attention immediately. Beck stood behind him, a gun in his hand, pointed directly at Ned’s head. Peter tried to break free of the restraints, which caused him to unintentionally let out a strangled, desperate cry. “H-he’s gonna shoot me.”

“No!” Peter couldn’t stop them when they killed Tony. Talking was what had gotten his mentor _killed._

God, Tony was still dead, wasn’t he?

He couldn’t lose his friends too.

How had his life been turned on its head so quickly?

“Peter.” Beck brought his attention back to the scene happening in front of him. “How did you meet Stark?”

“Spider-Man!” Peter heaved. “He found me through Spider-Man!”

“Hm.” Beck hummed. “I knew I was right. Why else would Stark keep you around?”

Peter only had time to open his mouth before the gunshot echoed around the room.

The next few moments were moments that he was never going to forget.

An anguished cry left his chest as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. Ned’s body slumped onto the floor, eyes wide open, gaze locked right on Peter. He was sobbing before he could stop it, unable to stop looking at the blood that flowed out of the hole in his best friend’s head. Within minutes, there was a large pool of blood on the floor surrounding Ned’s head, soaking his t-shirt.

What was worse, was that MJ didn’t even flinch. Peter looked at her, seeing the tears still trickling down her cheeks and over her chin. She didn’t look at Ned, her gaze remaining locked on Peter. Beck stood behind her, fear present in her expression as her eyes bore into Peter’s.

Peter felt like his heart had been yanked out of his chest and stomped on all over again. There Ned laid, motionless, dead eyes staring right into Peter’s.

Tony was dead, and now Ned was too.

“W-why?” Peter screamed and strained against the cuffs as MJ stared at him in horror. “I t-told you!”

“Thought you needed some more persuasion.” Beck _laughed_ and he directed the gun to the side of MJ’s head next. Peter flinched, heaving in a deep breath, awaiting Beck’s next question. “Stark met you because of Spider-Man. Interesting. You know, Peter, Stark stole everything from me just when you came into his pathetic life. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried to take Spider-Man from you too. Oh, wait, he did.”

Peter just stood there, lip trembling, eyes flooded with tears that seemed to be never-ending.

“I’m aware of that boat you almost sunk. Tony was pretty mad, wasn’t he? I would know, I was there.”

“H-how?” Peter asked quietly, eyes now locked on MJ’s.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on you for months, kid. As soon as I saw Spider-Man fought the Avengers in Germany, I got interested.” Beck whistled, as if he was impressed. “It wasn’t until I saw you had a little connection with Stark that I really became intrigued. Your identity was easy to figure out. You should find better places to change into your suit.”

“Stop.” Peter cried out. “J-just _stop!”_

“You’re just a scared little kid, in a sweatsuit.” Beck spat, then laughed manically. “Although, if I’m honest, I’m surprised you survived that long without Stark’s tech.”

Peter couldn’t speak anymore. He didn’t _want _to speak anymore.__

____

“Maybe if you were good enough, Tony would still be alive.”

____

It felt like he’d gotten another punch to the gut.

____

“P-Peter…” MJ’s quiet whisper interrupted them, her voice so tiny and broken. “T-this is your f-fault.”

____

“N-no…” Peter protested weakly, unable to keep looking at her. Instead, his gaze fell back to Ned’s body. It laid in the same place, unmoving, a horrible reminder of what Peter’s reality had become. “I d-didn’t m-mean for this to happen.”

____

“You did this to us.”

____

“I’m s-sorry.” Peter whimpered, and slowly tore his gaze away from Ned to look at her. However, when he looked up, MJ and Beck were gone.

____

Peter was left alone with just Ned’s body.

____

He yanked on the chains in blind panic, only to be reminded suddenly about his bursting bladder. This caused him to whine as he hunched over a little and bit down on his lip to stop himself from completely breaking. He looked back up, hoping his eyes had been playing tricks on him and MJ and Beck were still there.

____

They weren’t.

____

For the umpteenth time since he’d been chained up, Peter slumped, his wrists burning. He was sure the cuffs had bruised him by now, but he couldn’t care less. Ned had just died, right in front of him. _Ned had just died._

____

Beck had taken MJ who knows where and Tony and Ned were both dead.

____

Before he could even think to burst into tears, he heard the scuffle of feet on the other side of the room.

____

He looked up, blinking forcefully to free his eyes of tears. Once his vision was cleared enough to see around the room, Peter’s mouth fell open and he jolted in fright. At that very moment, he almost pissed his pants right there and then.

____

Standing on the other side of the room was MJ. She stared right at him, eyes looking darker than their normal colour, face free of tears. Beck was nowhere in sight.

____

“MJ?” Peter called out to her; her stare unmoving. It was almost like her eyes were unmoving, like they were… dead. “What’re you d-doing? Where’s Beck?”

____

She didn’t answer.

____

Peter’s entire body was shaking, gaze dropping to the floor. Ned was no longer there, and any trace that he had just been murdered in front of him was gone. No blood, nothing. It was like nothing had even happened.

____

“Come with me, Peter.” MJ’s voice echoed across the room, the tone she used making goose bumps appear on Peter’s skin. He had never heard her talk like that, and he had never seen that look on her face. He was so unbelievably confused his head spun. “I can get you out.”

____

MJ started taking slow steps towards him as she spoke, which prompted Peter to look up.

____

His friend was smiling, her eyes completely dark. Her smile wasn’t normal. Her lips twitched, as if she was trying not to laugh.

____

Peter felt himself backing away from her, even though he was sure MJ would never do anything to hurt him. But this, this didn’t look like her. Her eyes were black, he was sure of it. Just moments ago, she’d been crying as Ned died in front of them. Now, she looked like she was almost amused.

____

MJ looked like she had been possessed.

____

Then, right there in the blink of an eye, MJ collapsed. Peter screamed out as she fell onto her back, arms and legs twitching every few seconds as she stared at the ceiling. Now that she was closer, Peter could see that her skin wasn’t right. It almost looked grey.

____

“MJ!” He yelled, horribly confused. “Michelle?”

____

“H-help me, Peter.” She whimpered, voice cracking. Peter felt the tears coming faster and faster. “P-please, h-help m-me.”

____

Peter pulled desperately on the restraints, only to hunch over as far as he could when his bladder almost let go. He recovered quickly, glancing back to his friend who still lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. What if Beck had drugged her with something when he took her from the room?

____

Where had Ned’s body gone? Where had Beck gone?

____

_This had to be a nightmare._

____

“P-Peter!” MJ cried again, Peter grunting as he tried to pull his wrist out of the cuff. “T-this is your f-fault. Help me!”

____

As she spoke, something crawled over her skin. It was black, almost as black as her eyes, his gut dropping even further when he realised it was a spider. The longer he watched, more spiders began to crawl over her arms and legs. They weren’t too big, but they were big enough to make Peter want to hurl.

____

One spider crawled over her face and paused just over her right eye. It was at that very moment when MJ went limp.

____

“MJ?” Peter whispered, ceasing his panicked attempts to escape.

____

The next few seconds happened so fast Peter wasn’t even sure it had actually happened.

____

MJ was suddenly screaming and scrambling up from the floor, her face morphing into something that wasn’t hers. Peter screamed in fear when she came for him, her eyes fully blacked out and her skin a deathly grey. No- her eyes weren’t blacked out. They were gone.

____

Gaping holes were where her eyes were supposed to be, Peter able to see a spider crawling into the socket. MJ’s scream was so loud it made Peter’s head pound; her hands outstretched towards him with the intention of grabbing onto his neck.

____

She looked like a zombie straight out of a horror movie.

____

Peter backed up against the wall, hoping it would swallow him whole. This wasn’t happening.

____

_This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real._

____

MJ launched at him, Peter closing his eyes and willed himself to wake up.

____

When nothing happened, Peter held his breath. The room was suddenly quiet, save for Peter’s laboured breathing and the sound of something trickling onto the floor.

____

Then, there was clapping.

____

Peter opened his eyes to see the room completely empty. No blood, no MJ, no Ned. Just Beck, sitting on the table on the other side of the room, slow clapping.

____

“Jesus, kid. Didn’t think it’d get that kind of reaction out of you.” Beck smirked, eyes hovering over Peter’s entire body head to toe. Peter heaved in deep breaths of air as he searched the room for things that were out of place or any indication that his friends were still here, but there was nothing. “I wasn’t expecting it, but I sure am enjoying it. Pretty good display, huh Pete?”

____

“W-where are they?” Peter croaked, his throat dry from screaming so much. “What d-did you d-do?”

____

“I didn’t do anything.” Beck smiled, and if it were under any other circumstance, Peter would think it was a kind smile. “Your little friends are fine, blissfully unaware of my existence.”

____

____

The man got off of the table and headed over to Peter, ignoring the way he shrank back to press his back on the wall yet again. He came right up to Peter, reached up, and cupped his cheek.

____

To his own disgust, Peter leaned into it, and let the man wipe a tear away.

____

If he shut his eyes, maybe he could imagine it was May or Tony holding him.

____

“Quite amazing how my life’s work appears, hm? You could imagine why Stark would want to steal it from me.” Beck’s tone was calm. “You made quite a fool of yourself. Poor kid. I don’t think you’ve even noticed, have you? It’s okay, Victoria will get you some new clothes. I won’t ask you any more pointless questions just yet, I’ve had my fun.”

____

Peter moved away from the touch, despite so desperately craving any form of comfort.

____

He knew Beck wasn’t comforting him, and it was sick for Peter to even _accept _comfort from the man.__

______ _ _

When he tried to move away, he felt it.

______ _ _

Peter looked down, momentarily confused. His pants were soaked, and there was a pretty big puddle on the floor. Beck was standingin it. The more he came back to his senses, the more he noticed how warm his lower half felt.

______ _ _

It was then when he realised exactly what had happened.

______ _ _

He’d _pissed_ himself.

______ _ _

Peter hung his head down in shame, tears continuing to dribble down his cheeks. He’d fucking pissed himself, in front of his captor who’d just murdered his mentor and his best friend.

______ _ _

But all that wasn’t real, right? It couldn’t possibly be real. MJ could never look like… that. She would never try and strangle him, and Ned’s body couldn’t just disappear like that.

______ _ _

“Man, I really wish I was recording that.” Beck was back to laughing as he stepped away from Peter. “I would have loved to show someone you love how you reacted. But don’t worry, the other video is already on the way as we speak. Let’s hope he responds.”

______ _ _

Peter’s stomach began to churn. Someone he loved?

______ _ _

“Alright, kid, back to your cell.” A pause. “Victoria, get the kid some new clothes! William, take him back.”

______ _ _

Beck’s minions did as they were told, Peter too weak to fight as he almost collapsed onto the floor from how weak he was. He was so hungry and so tired, wishing desperately that he was back home in his bed instead of the cold floor saturated in pee.

______ _ _

Victoria arrived a few minutes later, clothes in her arms. She stepped into the cell, knelt down, and rested a gentle had on Peter’s shoulder. Peter didn’t even move, and instead he kept his gaze focussed anywhere but her.

______ _ _

“That was pretty scary, huh?” She began, rubbing circles into his shoulder. “I have your new clothes here.”

______ _ _

The new clothes wouldn’t make a difference. His boxers were soaked too.

______ _ _

When he didn’t move, Victoria let out a quiet sigh.

______ _ _

“Well, they’re here if you want to get out of those.” She stood, Peter only relaxing a little when she exited the cell.

______ _ _

Peter didn’t get changed. He just laid there, tears dried, staring straight ahead.

______ _ _

The feeling of wanting to be dead remained.

______ _ _

-

______ _ _

It had been two days and Tony had found nothing.

______ _ _

It was driving him insane with worry. In the last forty-eight hours, he’d been teetering on the edge of either anger or panic. This, of course, made him lash out. Those in the firing line were Pepper, Happy, and even May.

______ _ _

May had schooled her emotions quite well when Tony broke the news to her, though it was obvious she was trying her hardest not to cry. Beck had taken her fucking kid, and they were all powerless to do anything about it. But then, he had gotten angry, and he’d snapped.

______ _ _

Seconds after he’d snapped at her, he had run down to the lab having another violent panic attack because of how fucking _guilty_ he felt for doing that. He knew having so many panic attacks in such a short space of time wasn’t healthy. But as he was with this whole situation, he was powerless to stop it.

______ _ _

Peter wasn’t even _his_ kid, he was May’s.

______ _ _

Since then, Tony had gone over the security footage over and over, trying to find a loophole, trying to find a clue of his kid’s whereabouts. Every time he looked, there was nothing. FRIDAY couldn’t find anything either.

______ _ _

Tony felt pathetic. He knew Peter was gone because of him, and he couldn’t even use his endless stream of technology to find him. It was as if Peter and Beck had disappeared off the side of the earth. Beck had, no doubt, used the tech to hide them. There was no other way to evade security cameras and other technology like that.

______ _ _

At this point, the old flip phone in his back pocket had become an option. He had already told himself that if things got desperate enough, he would call.

______ _ _

He was feeling pretty fucking desperate right now.

______ _ _

Tony sat at his desk, at almost four in the morning, gaze locked on the single contact. He felt stupid for even considering Steve as an option. The police were now looking, Tony planned to scour the earth until he found Peter, but he knew that wasn’t enough if he had no leads to go off of.

______ _ _

His thumb hovered over the call button, but after a moment, he shook his head and thought better of it. He practically threw the phone onto his desk, as if it had burned him, and buried his face in his hands.

______ _ _

Not even a second later, Tony almost had a heart attack at the sound of an alert coming through. He gathered his composure quickly when FRIDAY opened the message without prompting, just _knowing _that it was from Beck.__

________ _ _ _ _

“What is it, Fri?” Tony asked shortly after the alert came through, seeing that it was a message from an unknown number. “Track it. Now.”

________ _ _ _ _

“On it, Boss.” FRIDAY said as she opened the message for him. It was a video file. A moment later, the AI was speaking again. “I am unable to track the location of this message. I’ll see what I can do. I believe the sender has hidden their location.”

________ _ _ _ _

Tony watched it load, practically vibrating in his seat with nervous energy. FRIDAY’s words didn’t process until the video began to play, but he found he was quickly distracted by Beck’s face looming in front of the camera.

________ _ _ _ _

Quentin Beck’s posture represented being calm and collected. Tony’s stomach churned with anxiety and anger as he glared at the man through the hologram, eyes flickering over the background for any sign of Peter.

________ _ _ _ _

“If you’re watching this, I assume my message has gone to the right place. Hello, Boss.” Beck laughed. “I bet you’ve noticed by now a certain Spider-Kid has gone missing. Quite a shame you picked this one, he seems like a good kid. Very innocent. I can hardly believe he’d be yourson.”

________ _ _ _ _

Shaking his head, Beck straightened up and took a few steps back.

________ _ _ _ _

Tony clenched his fists under the table and took a deep breath through his nose.

________ _ _ _ _

“It was almost too easy to take him. One of my lovely assistants created a little drug, you see. I’m sure Peter is feeling the effects of it as we speak.” Beck laughed again, as if he enjoyed taking out his revenge on a kid. “Your little intern is quite a keeper, I’d say. He had no ideawhere he was being led. From his file, I’d think his sixth sense would have warned him?”

________ _ _ _ _

He’d seen Peter’s file?

________ _ _ _ _

_Tony couldn’t breathe._

________ _ _ _ _

“I’m sure you’re wondering how I saw his files. You’re not as secretive as you’d like to be, Stark. Thought you might make it less obvious you were mentoring Spider-Man himself.”

________ _ _ _ _

Beck rolled his eyes, as if he were bored. “Anyways, I have a show prepared for you. Enjoy.”

________ _ _ _ _

Beck disappeared from frame, Tony’s heart clenching when he saw what was behind him.

________ _ _ _ _

Peter was asleep, or unconscious, there was no way to tell, on the floor at the back of some kind of cell. The teen was curled up in a tight ball, which made him look smaller than he ever had before.

________ _ _ _ _

“Oh, kid…” Tony reached out to touch the hologram, feeling whatever wall he’d managed to put up shatter instantly.

________ _ _ _ _

Beck reappeared in frame, a drone hovering into view. Then, a man and a woman entered, each grabbing a hold of one of Beck’s arms before handcuffing him. Tony watched in confusion, jaw falling slack when Beck began to change into him.

________ _ _ _ _

This version of himself was beaten bloody. It looked like he’d been completely drenched in blood, the entire left side of his body looking like he had fallen into red hot lava. It was sickening, he almost couldn’t look. He could practically smell the burnt flesh, even though none of it was real or even in the same room as him.

________ _ _ _ _

Beck conversed with his minions for a few moments, then, everything kicked into action.

________ _ _ _ _

Beck, or Illusion Tony, started to scream and thrash against the man and woman. Tony winced at the sound of his own screams and how realistic they sounded, absently grabbing onto one of the tools laying on his bench and held it tight to stop his hands from trembling. Anxiety formed a lump in his throat as he watched, muscles tense.

________ _ _ _ _

“Fuck off! Let me go!”

________ _ _ _ _

Tony jumped when Peter did, though he struggled to see his kid through the dim lighting and poor video quality. He was stirring, obviously trying to open his eyes.

________ _ _ _ _

“Fuck, get off of me!” Illusion Tony screamed again before he violently thrashed. Peter seemed more alert now, eyes open, mouth moving with words that Tony couldn’t hear. Through the grainy footage, he tried to read the teen’s lips. It didn’t work.

________ _ _ _ _

Moments later, Peter had scrambled to his feet and had stumbled across the cell.

________ _ _ _ _

Tony felt his eyes burn when Peter began yelling. “Mr. Stark! Hey, let him go!”

________ _ _ _ _

“For fuck’s sake!” Illusion Tony roared in response, Tony only having eyes for the kid. Peter looked so concerned it actually broke his heart, but none of that prepared him for what was coming next.

________ _ _ _ _

Peter reached out of the cell and made grabbing motions in Illusion Tony’s direction. It reminded him of what he used to do to his mother when he was young to get her to pick him up, all the air practically yanked out of his chest as he watched Peter do those exact same motions.

________ _ _ _ _

It reminded Tony that Peter was just a _child._ He was _fifteen._

________ _ _ _ _

“Let him go!”

________ _ _ _ _

For the next couple of seconds, Tony watched nervously as Peter tried to bend the cell bars to no avail. The kid seemed quite desperate now, the fear evident on his face as he looked at Illusion Tony.

________ _ _ _ _

“What did you do to him? Mr. Stark!”

________ _ _ _ _

Tony hated the way Peter was calling for him. The kid was terrified, his voice shaking more and more as Illusion Tony struggled against the captors hold.

________ _ _ _ _

“Shut up!” The man yelled, Tony’s mind clouding with anger as he watched Peter flinch. “Speak again and he’ll die right here.”

________ _ _ _ _

Visible terror appeared on Peter’s face as he clamped his mouth shut, never taking his eyes off of Illusion Tony.

________ _ _ _ _

It was when Illusion Tony was being dragged away, the real pain set in.

________ _ _ _ _

“No! No! Where are you taking him? Let him go!”

________ _ _ _ _

Tony watched on in horror as his illusion turned to face Peter, his stare cold.

________ _ _ _ _

“Mr. Stark…” The kid trailed off, looking nervous under the illusion’s stare. “I’m s-sorry.”

________ _ _ _ _

“It’s not your fault. This could never be your fault.” Tony mumbled immediately, wanting to reach through the screen and pull his kid into a hug. Once Tony got him back, Peter was never going out of his sight. Because he would be getting Peter back.

________ _ _ _ _

Illusion Tony didn’t seem to feel the same way Real Tony did.

________ _ _ _ _

“I shouldn’t have come to get you, Peter. Didn’t you hear the threat? I’m going to die.”

________ _ _ _ _

The hurt on Peter’s face was immediate. “T-Tony-”

________ _ _ _ _

“No, kid, it wasn’t worth it. You weren’t worth it!”

________ _ _ _ _

Illusion Tony lunged towards Peter, Tony putting a hand over his mouth as he watched the teen stumble then fall backwards. Peter looked up at the illusion, obvious fear and sadness displayed clear as day on his face. Tony couldn’t believe it.

________ _ _ _ _

“It’s your fault I’m going to die.”

________ _ _ _ _

“I’m sorry!”

________ _ _ _ _

“Enough of this.” The man snapped, and before Tony knew it, his illusion was being dragged out of the room and Peter was left alone.

________ _ _ _ _

Peter vomited not long after, the retching sound making Tony cringe. Tony wanted to throw up himself because of the disgusting things that Beck was saying, and he couldn’t help but hurl the tool he had been holding across the lab. DUM-E beeped sadly somewhere within the room, but Tony didn’t care as he immediately brought his attention back to the video.

________ _ _ _ _

Beck was back in the room as himself, Peter curled up _in his own vomit_ on the floor.

________ _ _ _ _

“Yikes, kid.” Tony heard the whimper Peter let out, his own tears returning at full force. Beck had taken the camera off of the tripod, Peter disappearing from view. Now, all he saw was Beck’s feet.

________ _ _ _ _

Shortly after, the video cut. Beck was in another room, one much brighter than Peter’s, staring into the camera. It looked like an office of some kind, or maybe where this psycho’s headquarters were.

________ _ _ _ _

“I can’t believe yougot this kid.” Beck laughed, shaking his head. “Cold hearted, selfish billionaire Tony Stark has Peter Parker crying for him. Unbelievable.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Fuck you.” Tony mumbled in pure rage.

________ _ _ _ _

Beck sighed, as if he were disappointed. “He’s a good kid, and that’s the perfect leverage.” Tony looked away, eyes finding that stupid flip phone. “I know you still have some of my tech. But that’s not what I’m most concerned about. I want you.”

________ _ _ _ _

Tony’s stomach churned.

________ _ _ _ _

“Everything I’m doing to this kid is meant for you, Stark.” Beck snarled, though the smiled remained on his face. “You ruined my life. This is only fair, I must say. You take something of mine, and I’ll take something of yours. I think this whiny teenager means a lot more than some tech, hm?”

________ _ _ _ _

Of course Peter meant more than his fucking tech.

________ _ _ _ _

“I would give you my location, but where’s the fun in that? Don’t worry, Tony, by the time you find me, if you ever do, Peter will be long gone. Insane, if not dead.” Beck stared right into the lens, a sick smile on his face. “But that’s a part of the whole plan, isn’t it? You get to watch him die. I’ll leave you with that thought.”

________ _ _ _ _

The video ended, and Tony was left in silence.

________ _ _ _ _

He sat there for a long time, staring at nothing, fingers rested on top of the flip phone.

________ _ _ _ _

God, Peter thought he was dead. Peter thought he wasn’t worth saving.

________ _ _ _ _

“Fuck!” Tony yelled and punched the bench, then immediately regretted it. “ _Fuck._ ”

________ _ _ _ _

“Boss.” FRIDAY interrupted quietly, Tony only nodding to show that he had heard her. “Colonel Rhodes is requesting entry.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Let him in.” Tony snatched the phone off the bench and put it in his pocket. He cradled his aching hand as Rhodey entered the lab, his footsteps loud in the quiet room. Rhodey wasn’t meant to be back, but here he was, in Tony’s fucking lab at four in the morning. “Rhodey.”

________ _ _ _ _

Tony had no idea how long it had been since that video had been recorded. It could have been recorded hours or minutes ago.

________ _ _ _ _

Not knowing was _killing_ him.

________ _ _ _ _

“Tones.” Rhodey said as he stopped behind him. A gentle hand rested on his shoulder, which caused Tony to rest his elbows on the bench and cover his face with shaking hands. Rhodey let out a quiet sigh and sat down beside him. “Peter?”

________ _ _ _ _

“See for yourself.”

________ _ _ _ _

Tony stood up and headed towards the bathroom attached to the lab. He was _not_ going to watch that again.

________ _ _ _ _

He sat down on the closed toilet lid, putting his face back in his hands. “Tell me when it’s over.”

________ _ _ _ _

“Of course, Boss.”

________ _ _ _ _

Tony pulled the phone out of his pocket and flipped it open. Steve’s contact stared back at him, tormenting him. Steve couldn’t possibly understand how he felt, he couldn’t possibly help with this.

________ _ _ _ _

But having a super soldier and spies to help…

________ _ _ _ _

No. He would _not_ call them. Peter was _his_ responsibility, and he didn’t need the rogue Avenger’s help. At least, not yet.

________ _ _ _ _

He didn’t want their help.

________ _ _ _ _

Tony must have been staring at the phone for longer than he originally thought, because there was a quiet knock on the door. He must have missed FRIDAY telling him the video was finished as well.

________ _ _ _ _

So, Tony grunted, and Rhodey took that as a confirmation to come in. Their eyes met, his friend looking between him and the phone with such a sad expression Tony had to look away.

________ _ _ _ _

No words were spoken, and a hand rested on his shoulder yet again.

________ _ _ _ _

He guessed that you never know how much you care about someone until they’re gone.

________ _ _ _ _

And his kid was very much gone.

________ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sadly, it only gets worse from here. much worse. hehe
> 
> MJ as a zombie was inspired by the scene in FFH where the iron man suit comes out of the grave. that scene was a BIG ouch
> 
> anyways, thanks for reading :)


	5. Dad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter's a wild one. poor peter and tony
> 
> lets just say the idea i came up with yesterday... whew. so much more angst to come im so excited!!
> 
> also if the timelines messed up just ignore it i always forget where im up to
> 
> hope you enjoy

Hours had passed since Tony received the message, and after his impromptu almost-meltdown in the lab’s bathroom, he launched back into looking for Peter without a second thought. He had FRIDAY try and track the location of where the video had been sent from, but she came up with nothing.

It was Sunday afternoon, and Peter had been gone since Thursday afternoon. He’d been gone for almost three days, though it felt like a few months already. The time passed so slowly it felt like Peter had been gone for far longer than he had.

He also thought Tony was dead.

Rhodey hovered over his shoulder the whole time, making attempts upon attempts to drag him out the lab and make him stop. Hell, if Rhodey thought Tony was stopping, he couldn’t be more wrong. This wasn’t some lab binge. This was a kid.

Tony rolled his eyes when Rhodey repeated himself for the thousandth time.

“Tony, you need to go to sleep.”

“No, I don’t need to do anything.” Tony growled in response as he stared intently at the footage of Peter’s kidnapping. Every time Beck smirked into the security camera; Tony felt nausea rise in his stomach. “He thinks I’m dead. That sun of a bitch is manipulating him, Rhodey.”

“I know.” Rhodey sighed, his voice filled with concern. Tony wanted to turn around and punch his friend in the face for being so goddamn _annoying_. “God, Tony, I know. But being sleep deprived isn’t going to help him or his Aunt.”

Tony winced at the mention of May. He hadn’t spoken to her since he snapped at her, and now she was back at her and Peter’s apartment. Alone.

The thought of her being alone with this made Tony hate himself more than he already did.

Deep down, very, very deep down, Tony knew that Rhodey was right. But how could he sleep when the kid was out there with one of Tony’s vengeful ex-employees? How could he sleep when Peter thought he was dead?

Anything could be happening to him right now. Beck could be just as likely to be tormenting Peter with another illusion right this moment and Tony had no way to stop it. The paranoia was almost consuming him, and he knew Rhodey could see it.

Sleep wasn’t an option.

Truth be told, Tony hadn’t slept since Thursday when he realised Peter was missing. Before that, he’d been running on four hours of sleep for the week. He was so used to spending hours upon hours awake that it hardly bothered him anymore. The fatigue was hardly there, but it was persistent enough to annoy him and remind him that he was, in fact, a human, but other than that he barely noticed it.

“Tony, _please._ ” Rhodey pleaded, still stood behind him with his arms crossed. “FRIDAY will be monitoring everything, you know that. She’ll alert you as soon as something comes up. If you want me to I can help her while you sleep. I’ll wake you up if anything happens.”

“Fuck.” Tony’s chest felt like it was closing in again. _Not again._ He was having too many of these. “I just- need to stay- here.”

The panic attack came so fast it caught him off guard, his breaths coming out in broken wheezes as his hand desperately clasped at where the arc reactor used to be.

“Oh, Tones.” Rhodey whispered behind him as Tony pushed his chair back from the desk. “Tony, breathe with me.”

It took him a while to breath clearly again. Rhodey stuck with him the whole time, talking him through it like he always did if he was around for Tony’s attacks.

He couldn’t seem to shake the embarrassment as he sat there, Peter the only image in his head.

Why had he never told the kid how much he cared?

“You’re not okay. You can’t keep going on like this, you need to rest. Bed, Tony.” Tony shook his head. “You’ll be able to concentrate more when you sleep.”

“It’s _Peter,_ Rhodey.” Tony mumbled, the pain in his chest a constant ache. “He’s just a kid, this is my fault. I have to find him before Beck ruins him.”

“This isn’t your fault.” Rhodey replied and pat his shoulder a few times. “Bed.”

“You shouldn’t have let me get so close to him; this wouldn’t have even happened-”

“Stop it.” Rhodey snapped a little harsher than before, effectively shutting Tony up for a few moments. “This is in no way your fault; you didn’t mean for this to happen. Peter would never blame you for it. Before you say it, you’re not like Howard and will never be like Howard. Now, _bed._ ”

Tony stared at his friend for a few moments, hands trembling.

“Analyse the background of the clip.” Tony snapped to FRIDAY, who he knew was listening. “See if you can get a match with anything.”

“Of course.”

Tony knew there was no way he’d get a match. It was too dark in the clip to see what was in the background, or any possible indication of where exactly Peter was being kept. The low lighting seemed to have been done on purpose.

And finally, Tony relented to get Rhodey of his case.

He didn’t look at Rhodey as he was practically dragged into the lift, the silence heavy around them as they made their way up. Rhodey got off at his own floor with a levelled stare, and Tony knew for a fact that if he didn’t at least try and sleep, FRIDAY would tattle on him and there’d be arguments all night long.

Tony couldn’t be bothered arguing with Rhodey or Pepper. Talking to them was like talking to a brick wall the majority of the time, and as much as he loved his best friends, they were controlling. Tony didn’t like being controlled.

Even though he knew they were one hundred percent right.

Tony found himself stopped in the middle of the hall, stood in front of a closed door. He knew it was a bad idea, but he couldn’t help but gravitate towards what remained of the teenager that had somehow wormed his way into Tony’s life so effortlessly.

He had one of the guest bedrooms turned into a room for Peter, since it was more often than not when he ended up staying the night at the tower after they lost track of time in the lab. There were many guest rooms on Tony’s floor that didn’t get used, and often it got lonely.

There wasn’t much inside of Peter’s room just yet, since it was only a new addition to Tony’s floor, and Peter hadn’t gotten to use it much.

The original plan was to have Peter move into the Compound, or at least have a room there, but eventually Tony bought the tower back. Mostly because he missed it, and mostly because it was closer to Peter’s home and school. There were also less people badgering him about the Rogue Avengers.

Tony very purposely ignored the communal floor, even though it had been stripped bare of everything that reminded him of his old friends.

Tony sucked in a breath and opened the door, then pushed away the thoughts of the Rogues. They didn’t matter.

What mattered, was that Peter may never get to use this room again.

Tony sat down on the kid’s bed; eyes focussed on the Star Wars poster on the other side of the room that Peter insistedhe needed. There were only a few things of Peter’s in here, including the posters and some of clothes he’d brought over from the apartment.

Even though the kid was hardly here, the room had already begun to smell like him.

Tony found himself lying down on the kid’s bed, staring up at the roof with newly wet eyes.

How had he let himself become so attached? He had no idea when it had happened, but here he was, lying on Peter’s bed, missing him more than ever. If someone had told Tony a few years ago that he’d be drowning in misery over his missing kid, he would have laughed in their face and called them crazy, because Tony Stark and kids do not mix.

Yet, here he was.

He couldn’t help but wonder if this was what being a worried parent felt like.

Even though the consistent chatter and excitement had got on his nerves in the beginning, Tony had quickly warmed up to it. Now, the silence was deafening, and it felt like he’d been transported right back to years ago when being surrounded by silence was his normal.

Peter filled his lab with life, and it made Tony feel so much less alone when the boy was there. The innocence that surrounded Peter was something Tony always avoided before the Accords. Before he met Peter, before he dragged a kid into his fight with the Rogues...

He avoided delicate things. Children fell into that category. It all came back to Howard, as everything did.

Of course, it was always Howard, still ruining his life even in the grave.

Howard had drilled it into him before he died.

_Tony destroyed everything fragile he touched._

The man was probably rolling in his grave right now, mocking him like he always used to.

Now, that statement was becoming reality more than ever. Tony’s past was the reason why Peter was stuck in this predicament, away from his Aunt and his friends. Away from Tony.

If he never got the kid back, he’d never be able to forgive himself.

It was a scary thought, that if this didn’t go the way he neededit to, Tony was sure he too wouldn’t make it out the other end. The thought of losing something so bright like Peter was horrifying, and once again, Tony questioned when he had even begun to feel this way.

He wished it was him who’d been taken and tortured, not Peter. Tony had gone through the whole rodeo before in Afghanistan, he could do it again.

Tony closed his eyes, mainly to prevent the tears from falling. He never intended to fall asleep there in Peter’s bed, surrounded by his scent and belongings.

As he drifted off, he knew the thing he wanted most of all wasn’t there.

-

Tony awoke to a hand in his hair. The touch was gentle, soothing the headache that seemed to spike as soon as his eyes opened. Pepper hovered above him with sad eyes that looked a little glossy. He ignored his friend’s pitiful stare as he sat up, groggy, completely forgetting where he was and why he was there for a few seconds.

“What time is it?” Tony grumbled; eyes still blurry as he tried to gather his bearings. “How long has it been?”

“Seven.” Pepper responded and pulled her hand away. “In the morning.”

He’d slept all afternoon and all night.

“Peter?” Tony exclaimed, mind suddenly awake and close to launching him into panic-mode. He shouldn’t have gone to sleep; he’d slept for far too long. Anything could have happened during those hours; Beck could have done anything with that fucking tech. “Did anything happen?”

“No.” Tony felt himself deflate, both out of relief and sadness. He had hoped FRIDAY found a location. “FRIDAY and Rhodey have been keeping an eye on everything. There hasn’t been another video or any sort of message. FRIDAY still can’t track any locations. I’m sorry, Tony. We don’t know any more than we did when you went to sleep.”

“I need to get down there.” Tony wheezed, unsure when his throat had become so dry. “There has to be something-”

“You need to eat.” Pepper interrupted and shook her head. “May’s in the living room. I invited her to stay in the tower while Peter’s… gone. I don’t think she can handle being alone right now. She wants to speak with you. She’s not mad, by the way.”

Tony just nodded mutely and fisted Peter’s bedsheets tight in his hands. After a moment, Pepper smiled sadly and stood. In the blink of an eye, Tony was left alone, and he really wished Pepper hadn’t left him.

He sat there for a few moments, trapped in his thoughts, before he finally mustered up enough willpower to get himself off of the bed.

Tony took himself to the bathroom, relieved his bladder then had a quick shower. Once he was dressed, he headed towards the kitchen.

He could hear May before he could see her. She was in the kitchen, making coffee, her sad eyes zoning in on him almost immediately when he entered the room.

“Hi, Tony.” She smiled. “Coffee? Pepper told me you like this one.”

Tony’s lips quirked a little, but the almost-smile faded immediately. “Yeah.”

It was silent as May poured him a cup. She placed Tony’s cup on the counter, their eyes meeting with the silent acknowledgement of his peeve of being handed things. Tony picked it up off the counter and took a long sip.

Something must have shown on his face, because before he could even open his mouth to speak, May cut him off.

“Don’t.” May shook her head. “This isn’t your fault.”

“Well, it is.” Tony took a deep breath and placed the cup back down onto the counter. “The guy who took Pete- he’s one of my old employees. He wants revenge for something that happened a long time ago and- he’s been stalking Pete for weeks. This ismy fault. I should have noticed.”

“Did you help him stalk Peter?”

Tony spluttered. “No! What-”

“Then it isn’t your fault. This isn’t any of our faults.” May’s eyes teared up for the first time since she’d arrived. “Don’t blame yourself for this, Tony. I know we haven’t gotten off on the best foot, but I know how much Peter cares about you and how much you care about him. I would never blame you for this, so don’t say it’s your fault.”

Tony was left in shocked silence.

_He wasn’t expecting that._

“I should have gotten there faster...” Tony mumbled. “I’m gonna find him. I’m not going to stop until I do.”

“I know.” May put her coffee down as well, then held the hand Tony wasn’t holding his coffee with. He looked down, simply watching her rub his knuckles gently. “I trust you, and Peter adores you. Just… don’t exhaust yourself in the process. You need to look after yourself as well. The police are looking too. The whole city is.”

Tony knew the police wouldn’t be able to find Peter. No one would when Beck had that kind of technology in his hands.

That reason alone was exactly why Beck had decided to take Peter. Using that tech, he could hide, manipulate people’s minds…

 _“Fuck.”_ Tony swore for the thousandth time in the last four days. _Four days, five in a few hours._

Of course, everyone was right, despite how much he wished they weren’t.

To Tony’s utter surprise, May brought him into a hug. What surprised him more, was that he leant into it.

“I already told you it wasn’t your fault. Stop apologising. You’re almost as bad as Peter.”

Tony couldn’t find it within himself to reply, so he just let the woman hug him.

He wasn’t sure how long they remained in the embrace, but soon they were on the couch in Tony’s living room. They didn’t speak, Tony itching to get back down in the lab and resume his search for Peter. He couldn’t stand sitting here watching TV as though nothing had happened.

Tony was sure he had never been this worried in his entire life.

He’d begun to think of the kid as _his _kid without even realising.__

____

He had FRIDAY quickly change the channel when a missing person’s report was broadcasted, Peter’s smiling face boring into his soul. He should really talk to or get someone to talk to the kid’s friends to see how they were doing.

____

“Boss, can you get Pepper back up here?” Tony said after a moment and avoided May’s glance.

____

“Ms. Potts is on her way.”

____

Where she had gone since she left him here with May was beyond Tony, but to be honest, he really didn’t care. He was sick of sitting around, he had to do something to keep his mind distracted.

____

When Pepper arrived, Tony was gone before she could even scold him. He felt a little ashamed from how he ran from May, again, but ignored the thoughts as he made his way to the lab.

____

He collapsed into his chair with a quiet groan, eyes already flickering over the hundreds of holograms that FRIDAY was working on.

____

“Anything?” Tony asked, hoping that Pepper had been wrong.

____

“I’m sorry, sir. The video’s location is untraceable.”

____

“Keep trying. Bring up the latest armor.”

____

FRIDAY did as she was told, and Tony got to work.

____

He remained blissfully unaware of what was happening to his kid at this exact moment.

____

-

____

“Kid.”

____

Peter jolted into awareness at the sound of Tony’s voice.

____

He wasn’t sure how long he had been out for, but by the looks of it, someone had moved him while was unconscious.

____

The first thing he noticed was that he was sitting up, his wrists and ankles bound to the arms and legs of a chair. The second thing he noticed was that his clothes had been changed, slight panic arising in his chest as he realised that someone must have changed him out of his piss-covered clothes when he was asleep.

____

He hadn’t even woken up when they did it. That made him think that maybe he was more unconscious than asleep, which didn’t do much to cease his anxieties. But what made it worse, was that whoever it was that had changed him had seen him naked.

____

That thought made him severely uncomfortable.

____

“Peter.” Peter’s head snapped up despite how groggy he felt, eyebrows furrowed as he tried to clear the blur in his eyes. During all his realisations, he’d completely forgotten that he’d heard Tony’s voice. All thoughts of his clothes being changed were wiped clean from his mind as he recognised the voice for a second time.

____

It was definitely Tony.

____

Someone was kneeling in front of him, hand on his knee. It was almost as if he had just appeared there out of thin air.

____

_Tony?_

____

“Mr. S-Stark?” Peter mumbled, eyes beginning to focus on the blurry face in front of him. He already knew it was Tony. “T-Tony?”

____

“Hey kid.” Tony said, and within seconds there was a hand cupping his cheek. “I’ve missed you.”

____

Peter leant into the touch and let the relief consume him.

____

_Tony was alive._

____

He was _here._

____

Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked at his mentor, the blur finally clearing. There Tony was, knelt in front of him, a smile on his face that looked a little forced. For a moment, Peter didn’t even notice the lack of injuries on his mentor’s face as he took the sight of his living, breathing father figure in.

____

“Y-you’re okay?” Peter questioned, eyes briefly flickering over his mentor’s face. Tony smiled and continued to caress his cheek. “Y-you’re alive?”

____

“Of course I am. No one can kill me that easily.”

____

Peter smiled a little, but then it faded. “What happened to your face?”

____

Tony shrugged, as if he couldn’t care less. Peter pulled a little against the restraints, wishing Tony would hurry up and free him so they could leave. He was so exhausted that all he wanted to do was collapse in his father figure’s arms and cry until he couldn’t anymore.

____

“I can’t believe you almost got me killed.” Tony suddenly laughed, though the laugh sounded fake. There was almost no humour in it, and this was what sent off the first alarm bells in Peter’s head. Something was wrong. The caring look had disappeared from Tony’s face, replaced with something that looked much more sinister. “They nearly got me, Peter.”

____

Peter looked at Tony, unsure how to feel about the tone in his voice and expression on his face. It was Tony, of course it was, but it didn’t seem like him anymore. This sparked an undeniable amount of fear in Peter’s chest as he met Tony’s eyes.

____

“I’m s-so sorry. I was s-scared a-and-”

____

“I don’t want to hear it.” Tony snapped and yanked his hand back so quickly it made Peter flinch. The bad feeling lingered as Tony got to his feet, eyeing Peter critically. The tears came faster as he sat there, realising that Tony had made no effort to get him out of the restraints. “I’m stuck here with them now, you know. I came here for _you,_ only for you to almost send me to my death. That’s what I get for helping you?”

____

Tony’s tone had quickly turned vicious. Peter was unable to respond as he listened, hurt, his ass and legs aching from sitting in the hard chair. How long had he even been strapped here for?

____

The way Tony looked at him made him want to curl in on himself and hide.

____

It was quite clear in that moment that Peter knew his mentor hated his guts, and that he wouldn’t be getting out.

____

“I’m s-sorry.” Peter whispered, never taking his eyes off Tony. He knew this could be the last time he’d ever see the man again. Beck could kill Tony, or him, at any moment. “I didn’t m-mean to.”

____

“This is your fault, Peter. It always is. I don’t know why I keep you around, I thought you’d change.”

____

Peter didn’t move. He just stared, mouth agape, heart torn in millions upon millions of pieces.

____

“The only thing I can think of right now is to punish you. Beck was planning on forcing me to, but was happy to find out that I didn’t need any persuasion. I might even hand him the drone’s blueprints, y’know. Or the drones themselves.”

____

Peter froze like a deer in headlights.

____

_Drones?_

____

This wasn’t Tony. Tony would neversay that to him, he was sure of it. Peter had fucked up so many times, yet Tony brought him back into his arms without a second thought. Sure, he’d gotten a few scoldings and groundings from both May and Tony for little things like skipping school for patrol or arriving home after curfew. But it was neverlike this.

____

But then again, skipping school and arriving late were not on the same level as almost causing somebody’s death.

____

“Mr Stark, I’m sorry. I promise I didn’t m-mean to hurt you.” Peter whimpered pathetically and struggled in his restraints, only to no avail. He looked to Tony, pleading. “P-please let me out.”

____

“I don’t think I will.” Tony laughed, loud and manic. Peter had never heard him sound like that before. It sounded like the way Beck laughed. “After I’m done here, you’ll never see me, your aunt or your friends ever again. Trust me on that one, kid.”

____

Tony stalked over to him, Peter only now taking in the man’s appearance fully. He was injury-free, dressed up in a suit as if he were about to go on stage and deliver a speech. He was clean, not even a speck of dirt on his clothes or skin.

____

The hideous wounds were gone, and there was no blood or flesh. Tony looked completely injury free and healthy, like he always did.

____

Then, to Peter’s horror, Tony raised his clenched fist.

____

What alarmed him even more, was that his senses didn’t warn him about the incoming impact.

____

Peter didn’t flinch away as the fist came towards his head, not believing his mentor would actually do it. A moment later, his head snapped sideways with a sickening crunch as the punch was delivered to his right cheek. Instant tears burned on top of the ones that had already been there, the entire right side of his face beginning to ache as he looked up at Tony in shock.

____

_Tony had just hit him._

____

The worst thing was, he didn’t even look like he regretted it.

____

“You have nothing to say?” Tony growled, Peter shrinking back into the chair in complete and utter terror. “Finally. It’s about time you stopped talking. You realise how annoying you are, whining all the time?”

____

Peter was punched again in the same place. His head snapped to the side, and a moment later the warm feeling of blood began to trickle down his cheek. Before he could even look up, Tony hit him twice more. Then, Tony kicked his right leg, Peter’s entire body in pain from both the hits and the drugs that refused to leave his system.

____

“P-please stop.” Peter mumbled, blood trickling from a cut in his forehead. “I-I’m s-sorry.”

____

“Stop apologising!” Tony yelled and hit him again, this time hard enough to make Peter’s nose gush with blood. “I’m so sickof hearing you talk!”

____

There was only so much more he could take before the first sob rose up in his chest.

____

Tony was hitting him. He was abusing him, right there, on his own free will.

____

This wasn’t Tony. He would never hurt him intentionally.

____

In the midst of the punches and kicks, a memory flashed through his mind.

____

_“Kiddo?”_

____

_Peter was sat on the ground leant up against the wall in a dark, dirty alley when he heard the Iron Man suit land. His stomach gushed with blood, agony vibrating around his entire body as he tried not to sob from the pain alone._

____

_Tony was out of the suit within moments, face creased with worry as he knelt down in front of Peter._

____

_“Fuck. Okay, Underoos, I’m gonna get you back to the Compound, yeah? They have better medical than the tower.” Tony was whispering, eyes flickering between the stab wound and Peter’s face. Peter kept his eyes locked on his mentor; lower lip clamped tight between his teeth, too scared to look at the wound. “This is why you call me, buddy.”_

____

_“I’m sorry.” Peter mumbled and tried to move, only to cry out when white hot pain stopped him from doing so. “I-I’m sorry.”_

____

_“Shh. We’ll talk about it later, kiddie. Don’t move too much, just keep looking at me.” Tony wiped a tear away. “I’m going to pick you up, alright? It’s going to be okay.”_

____

_Peter couldn’t stop himself from letting the sob out as he was lifted into Tony’s arms bridal style, the suit now around his mentor. He couldn’t remember when that had happened, he had probably blacked out for a moment from the white-hot pain. Right now, all he wanted was for the pain to end._

____

_He passed out before they could reach the Compound. The next time he regained consciousness, he had woken up to Tony’s tired face looking down at him._

____

_“Never do that again. You took about twenty years off my life, kid.”_

____

The memory was cut short when another cruel punch was delivered to his head with a sickening crack.

____

“ _Dad,_ p-please s-stop!”

____

Peter didn’t realise what had come out of his mouth until seconds later.

____

Tony stopped.

____

Peter sobbed, then dry-heaved, but nothing came up. Blood dripped onto his shirt as he looked up at Tony, only to see him trying to hold in a laugh. His knuckles were red with Peter’s blood.

____

_This wasn’t Tony. There was no possible way that this was Tony._

____

“Dad?” Tony giggled, before he bent over and laughed in that manic way Peter would never forget. He even slapped his knee, as if this was the most hysterical thing Peter had ever heard. “Dad? Seriously, Peter? As if this man would ever want to be your father.”

____

“W-what?” Peter whispered, confused by the sentence.

____

Tony had spoken about himself in third person.

____

“I bet you’d forgive Stark in a second. You seem like the forgiving type, even if the man beat you to death you’d still bow down at his feet. Jesus Christ, he doesn’t _deserve _you.”__

______ _ _

Nothing made sense, so instead, due to how overwhelmed he felt, he sobbed for umpteenth time since he’d arrived here.

______ _ _

“Look at me, kid.” That wasn’t Tony’s voice. It was Beck’s, but it had come from Tony. “There you go. Alright, kill it!”

______ _ _

For a moment, Peter thought that meant he was about to die.

______ _ _

He would have welcomed it.

______ _ _

But right before his eyes, Tony’s face began to disappear in blue light, only to reveal Quentin Beck. The cruel smile was identical on Beck’s face as the blue light took Tony’s clothes away, only to reveal Beck in a shirt and some sweats, a complete contrast in how put together he had looked the last time Peter had seen him.

______ _ _

“W-what’s happening?” Peter asked, unable to look away. “H-how-”

______ _ _

“Was I right, Peter? Would you forgive that man even if he beat you senseless?”

______ _ _

Peter didn’t answer.

______ _ _

“This little… trick, you see, makes you see whatever I want you to see. My life’s work.” Beck hummed, Peter’s eyes widening when two drone-looking machines appeared right behind the man. “Your little mentor is perfectly fine in his tower, probably losing his mind after the last video I sent him. I can’t wait for him to see this. You’re a laughing stock, kid, but I almost feel bad for hitting you. Such a baby face you have.”

______ _ _

“S-shut up!” Peter yelled and yanked against the restraints. Beck just laughed and turned around, Peter noticing for the first time that the same camera was in the room, light blinking red. Recording. “W-why are you doing this to me?”

______ _ _

Beck ignored him and turned around to bend down in front of the camera.

______ _ _

“You hear that, Stark? Your precious mentee thinks of you as a Dad.”

______ _ _

Peter’s mind couldn’t make sense of it all.

______ _ _

He just watched as Beck turned off the camera and fiddled with it for a small moment.

______ _ _

“Where’s Mr. Stark?”

______ _ _

“Not here, kid. He never was. You’re so fucking gullible.”

______ _ _

_Tony was alive._

______ _ _

_He’d never been there in the first place._

______ _ _

_Nothing made any fucking sense._

______ _ _

A hand rested back on his cheek. Peter couldn’t stop himself from leaning into it.

______ _ _

“So gullible and desperate for comfort. Yikes.”

______ _ _

The hand fell, and Beck left the room.

______ _ _

Peter felt the tears recede a short time after Beck left. He just sat there, eyes locked on the floor, trying to figure out what had just happened.

______ _ _

It hadn’t been Tony that hit him… it had been Beck?

______ _ _

Tony was still at the tower?

______ _ _

Peter felt emotionless as he stared at the ground, entire body pulsing with constant pain. All he wanted was to go home, or to wake up from this horrible nightmare.

______ _ _

“Hey honey.”

______ _ _

Peter jumped when Victoria’s voice echoed over him but didn’t look up.

______ _ _

“Another rough one, hm?” She cooed sweetly, something wet touching Peter’s face. Another wet cloth. Her touch was gentle. Once again, it reminded him of May. “He did a number on you. At least you know Stark’s still alive.”

______ _ _

“Leave me alone.”

______ _ _

“I will after I clean you up. Beck’s orders. I also don’t like seeing you so battered.”

______ _ _

“You don’t care about me.”

______ _ _

Victoria didn’t answer.

______ _ _

Peter let clean his face, wincing every now and then when she rubbed particularly hard. He never looked at her.

______ _ _

Tony- Beck had just beaten him up and now had his assistants cleaning him? It was almost as if he felt bad.

______ _ _

Nothing about this hostage situation made any fucking sense at all.

______ _ _

He wanted to go _home._

______ _ _

When Victoria left, Peter didn’t feel any cleaner.

______ _ _

He just felt _empty._

______ _ _


	6. I Hate You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel so guilty for putting peter and tony through pain, i swear say this every author's note but. i feel so bad
> 
> as i also say every note, its only gonna get worse. much worse. i just finished chapter 10 and lets just say... poor peter and tony. can't wait to share it with yall
> 
> anyways enjoy!!

It was only twelve in the afternoon when Tony received another video.

He had been working on his suit when FRIDAY alerted him. As soon as the words registered in his mind, Tony’s heart dropped into his stomach and his tools fell from his hands.

“Open it.” Tony snapped as his tools clattered onto the table. “Fri.”

“On it, Boss.”

A few long, torturous minutes later, the video file finally opened. It began to play immediately.

“Something really interesting happened yesterday.” Beck was sat in front of the camera, people bustling around behind him. There was four of them. He vaguely recognised him, but his mind was focussed on other things. “I really didn’t intend for it to happen, Stark, but I’m very excited it did. I might even make it happen again.”

“Get their identities.” He said offhandedly, Beck’s voice making him feel sick.

FRIDAY did as she was told in silence, and the video continued to play. Names appeared on the screen a minute later.

_Victoria Snow._

_William Ginter Riva._

_Gutes Guterman._

_Janice Lincoln._

Tony knew those names. They were all ex-employees of Stark Industries.

What was this, a Tony Stark hate club?

Tony wanted to laugh; he really did. But the reality was, a hate club wasn’t that far off of the truth. They all had working for him in common, and that’s why they took the kid. They wanted revenge, as Beck had already so kindly put it, and Peter was the bait.

What the four of them were doing back there, he had no idea. He wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

“I played a nice little trick on the kid.” Beck fiddled with something out of frame, eyes flickering off to the side for a few moments. “It scared him enough to make him piss himself. I’ll leave you with that thought.”

Tony paled, then winced both out of sympathy and horror. The thought of Peter being so scared to wet himself made him feel a little unsettled, and if not more terrified than before.

Beck grinned, as if he could actually see Tony’s reaction through the camera, before it cut.

Tony barely had enough time to process anymore of what he had just heard when he saw Peter restrained to a chair. The kid was unconscious, just like he had been in the last video Tony had been sent. Peter’s body was slouched in a way that couldn’t possibly be comfortable or good for his neck and back, and Tony wanted to rip the restraints off his kid and wrap him in the tightest hug and never let him go.

That’s when it hit him. Tony had never given Peter a hug. Not a real one, anyways.

He’s never regretted not doing something as much as he does now.

“Fri, get Rhodey down here.” Tony said absently, unable to tear his eyes away from the screen. Guilt swam in his gut like it was a swimming pool, a constant reminder of all the things Tony hadn’t done or said. “Tell him there’s another video.”

“Of course.” FRIDAY replied a moment later.

Tony watched as someone shifted into frame. They seemed to be dressed in a suit, which was odd, considering where they kept Peter. It looked like some grimy old basement, and who knew how many of those there were across the state.

If Peter was even in the state anymore.

“Kid.”

Tony stopped breathing. That was _his_ voice.

He watched Peter jump into awareness at the sound of his voice. The kid heaved in deep breaths, but he didn’t look up. In the time where Peter wasn’t paying attention, Illusion Tony made his way over and knelt down in front of the teen.

Seconds passed where no one spoke.

“Peter.”

This time, Tony watched Peter’s head snap up. He looked confused, but through the grainy footage, he could see the hope appear on the kid’s face when he realised who it was.

Rhodey arrived at the same time he watched this happen, but he didn’t pay his friend any attention. All he heard was a sharp intake of breath when Rhodey realised who was on the screen.

“Mr. S-Stark?” It came out as a mumble, Tony hardly able to hear him. “T-Tony?”

“Hey kid.” The Illusion cupped Peter’s cheek, Tony’s blood beginning to boil. He clenched his fists and watched; jaw clamped shut in both pure anger and fear. He felt something protectivewash over him as he watched Peter lean into the touch; relief evident in his expression. “I’ve missed you.”

Peter looked at the illusion which so much hope, so much belief that it was actually Tony.

“Y-you’re alive?”

Tony winced. Peter sounded so hopeful, so relieved, so _happy._

“Of course I am. No one can kill me that easily.”

A ghost of a smile passed over the teen’s face before it faded, and Tony didn’t realise how much he missed Peter’s smile until right then.

“What happened to your face?”

The illusion shrugged its shoulders. “I can’t believe you almost got me killed. They nearly got me, Peter.”

Illusion Tony was cackling in a way that even freaked him out. Peter looked alarmed by what he had heard, the hope beginning to fade. It was replaced with hurt, and Tony never wanted to punch someone more. Honestly, he wanted to punch _himself,_ even though he knew it wasn’t really him who was saying it.

That didn’t matter. What mattered, is that _Peter_ thought this version of Tony was real.

“I’m s-so sorry. I was s-scared a-and-”

“I don’t want to hear it.” The Illusion pulled away from Peter and got to his feet. “I’m stuck here with them now, you know. I came here for you, only for you to almost send me to my death. That’s what I get for helping you?”

His voice sounded degrading and vicious. It was a tone Tony used when he berated the paparazzi or some stranger who was pissing him off. It had been how he spoke to Beck when the man wouldn’t stop harassing him. He would never use that tone with someone he loved. Never. He saved it for those who he _really_ hated.

What hurt him more, was that Peter clearly believed every bit of it. This version of Tony, this was _Howard._ Some sick, spin-off version of Howard Stark.

“I’m s-sorry. I didn’t m-mean to.”

“This is your fault, Peter. It always is. I don’t know why I keep you around, I thought you’d change.”

“Kid, no.” Tony mumbled brokenly at the especially wounded expression that appeared on Peter’s face. “I would never want you to change. Don’t listen to him.”

“The only thing I can think of right now is to punish you. Beck was planning on forcing me to to but was happy to find out that I didn’t need any persuasion. I might even hand him the drone’s blueprints, y’know. Or the drones themselves.”

Drone blueprints? Was that what Beck wanted?

There had to be something else to it. Beck had already said he wanted Tony _himself._

He probably wanted the entire fucking company at this rate.

“Mr. Stark, I’m sorry. I promise I didn’t m-mean to hurt you.” Peter struggled for a moment before he looked at Tony. “P-please let me out.”

He was _begging._ Peter was _begging_ Illusion Tony to let him out.

“I don’t think I will.” That laugh again. Cold, loud, manic. “After I’m done here, kid, you’ll never see me, your aunt or your friends ever again. Trust me on that one, kid.”

The next few seconds made Tony _and_ Rhodey let out a gasp. Tony then jumped, because he’d forgotten Rhodey was even here. However, his attention was far too focussed on the hologram to care about how his friend reacted.

The Illusion raised its clenched fist, then punched Peter in the face.

Tony saw _red._

Peter looked up at the Illusion in horror. It felt like Peter was really looking at him.

“You have nothing to say?” The teen shrunk away from Illusion Tony in fear.

This was Tony’s worst fears playing out in front of him. This version of him, the illusion, was what he feared to be. A degrading, hateful, violent man.

_Just like Howard. Everything came back to Howard._

“Finally. It’s about time you stopped talking. You realise how annoying you are, whining all the time?”

The punches came one after another. Each rewarded with a sickening crack and some blood. The Illusion finished Peter off by kicking one of his legs, and the sound Peter made tore Tony’s heart in two. Peter was _taking_ it.

“P-please stop.” It was a quiet whimper that made Tony’s heart split even more. His hands shook violently, Rhodey’s hand coming to rest on his shoulder. His touch was tense, rigid. “I’m s-sorry.”

“Stop apologising!” The Illusion yelled again, and another punch was delivered to Peter’s face. This time, blood began to gush from the teen’s nose. “I’m so _sick_ of hearing you talk!”

Then, Peter let out his first sob since the beating had started. He cried out when Illusion Tony continued to abuse him, the broken cries cutting so deep into Tony’s heart he couldn’t stop the panic from arising. Tears began to build in his eyes as he watched the kid struggle, as he watched him cry and cry for help. No one came, no one _would_ be coming, because this was all apart Beck’s cruel scheme.

“Dad, p-please s-stop!”

Rhodey’s hand tensed around his shoulder. Tony’s brain went static.

For the first time since Peter had gone missing, Tony couldn’t prevent the tears from falling. They broke free and streaked down his cheeks in one quick motion, and he was unable to remember the last time he cried. He felt the liquid dribble off his chin as he stared, mind empty, unable to comprehend what had just happened.

_There was no way he’d just heard that._

“Dad?” The illusion bent over and _laughed._ “Dad? Seriously, Peter? As if this man would ever want to be your father.”

Once Tony’s tears started, they wouldn’t stop. A lump had formed in his throat.

“Look at me, kid.” It was no longer his own voice, but Beck’s. “There you go. Alright, kill it!”

The technology peeled away to reveal Quentin Beck. Tony couldn’t see his face, but he knew there would be a smug smile there.

“W-what’s happening? H-how-”

“Was I right, Peter? Would you forgive that man even if he beat you senseless?”

When Peter didn’t answer, Tony buried his face in his hands. Beck continued to talk.

“This little… trick, you see, makes you see whatever I want you to see. My life’s work. Your little mentor is perfectly fine in his tower, probably losing his mind after the last video I sent him. I can’t wait for him to see this. You’re a laughing stock, kid, but I almost feel bad for hitting you. Such a baby face you have.”

Tony felt sick. He felt so sick he knew whatever food he had left in him was going to come up.

“S-shut up!” The way Peter’s voice sounded _killed_ him. “W-why are you doing this to me?”

There was a period of silence that made Tony look up. Beck was now standing in front of the camera, grinning, once again, like he could see Tony’s tears.

“You hear that, Stark? Your precious mentee thinks of you as a _Dad._ ”

Then, the video stopped, and the room fell into silence.

“Tony…” Rhodey began after a while as Tony sat there, tears still pouring from his eyes.

“This is my fault.” Tony snapped, and did what he always did best. He masked his pain with anger. “I’m going to fucking kill that sadistic bastard as soon as I get my hands on him. He’s fucking dead. I’m going to tear him apart.”

“I don’t oppose to that.” Rhodey said, words and tone careful. Tony knew Rhodey was watching the tears roll down his cheeks. “I think you just need to calm do-”

“Calm down?” Tony spat, and looked at his friend for the first time since the man had entered his lab. “You expect me to calm down when Beck just beat up my kid! He made Peter think I’d abuse him! How can you fucking tell me to calm down when that kid’s aunt is upstairs, and I’m supposed to tell her that this happened?”

“Tony-”

“No!” Tony was a little surprised when it came out as more of a sob than a shout. “Beck made me act like Howard, Rhodey. Peter- he’d- he’d forgive me if I did that to him! What the fuck?”

“That wasn’t you.” Rhodey said after a moment. “That was all Beck. You’re nothing like Howard and Peter knows it wasn’t you.”

“How could you possibly say that? We have no idea what Peter’s thinking! I can’t do this anymore.” Tony snapped and furiously wiped his eyes. The tears didn’t stop flowing. “I can’t just sit back and watch that bastard hurt the kid. I’m- I’m going out to look for him.”

“Look for him where, Tony?” Rhodey caught his wrist when Tony went to walk away. “You have no location. Nothing. There’s nothing you can do yet, I know it’s hard, but you’re trying. It’s better than doing nothing at all.”

“J-just let me go!” Tony yanked his wrist from his friend’s hold and headed towards his suit. “Fri… get me a suit.”

FRIDAY obeyed the command without any verbal protest, but Tony could feel both the hesitance and concern.

“Don’t let him out.”

The anger towards his best friend increased by a thousand. Yes, Rhodey had specific rules set _by Tony_ to stop him from doing stupid shit like this. Pepper had the same permits. Right now, Tony wished he didn’t give them as much access to his AI as he did.

“For fuck’s sake.”

“You need to calm down or you’re going to have another panic attack.”

“FRIDAY can get me through it.” Tony snapped.

“Having so many of them isn’t healthy, Tony. You’re also still sleep deprived.”

“I can deal with it.”

“You’re _crying_ , Tony. Just take a break, please. We’re all worried about you.” Rhodey was actually beginning to sound as distraught as Tony felt. “I know this is horrible. _I know_. Unless you have a definite location, there’s nothing you can do. FRIDAY can work on it while you take a break. She’s been working on it this whole time, hasn’t she?”

At Tony’s nod, Rhodey continued.

“You are doing something. You’re trying. Peter would know that. He knows that wasn’t really you. At least go and talk to his aunt, she can understand more than I can.”

“He thought I’d hit him.” Tony mumbled, though however, he reluctantly stepped out of his suit. He could feel the exhaustion beginning to linger, along with the edge of panic that was waiting to torment him. “Rhodey- he thought I’d actually-”

“He knows it wasn’t you.”

“We don’t know that!” Tony burst out, the anger quickly dissolving into something that mirrored grief.

“This isn’t your fault.” He sounded like a broken record. “Come on, Tones. Come upstairs.”

“I can’t.” Tony heaved and wiped his face again. “I can’t face her.”

“Yes, you can. We’re all worried about you.” Rhodey emphasised, Tony unable to look at his best friend.

“You shouldn’t be worried about me. Worry about Peter.”

“We’re worried about both of you.”

They fell into silence, aside from Tony’s heavy and laboured breaths. His chest hurt with phantom pain of the Arc Reactor, his hand now resting over where it used to be.

“He called you his Dad.”

“He’s not supposed to think of me like that.” Tony said, quieter now. “I’m not good with kids. See where I got him…”

“Tony, stop it. How many times do I have to say this isn’t your fault?” Tony wiped his eyes and schooled his expression. He didn’t look at Rhodey. “He loves you. Now come on, we’re going.”

Surprising them both, Tony did as he was told. With no more words spoken, he followed Rhodey up to his floor like a dog following its owner. Peter’s terrified pleas echoed in his head the whole way there, a specific three letter word standing out the most.

Peter had called him _Dad._

Sure, they had gotten closer since Peter’s Homecoming disaster. Yeah, Peter would come over for lab visits every Tuesday and Friday and occasionally stay overnight. Once, Tony had even picked the kid up from school due to a sensory overload that he didn’t want May knowing about.

Which, of course, May found out about and scolded the both of them for lying to her face.

Peter had his own room in the tower now. There had been a time where Peter got himself stabbed on patrol and refused to tell Tony about it until he flew over there. Peter had almost died that night, despite how much the kid denied it. It had been terrifying, sitting beside the hospital bed waiting for him to wake up.

The fear he felt on that day was scarily similar to the fear he felt right now.

Tony Stark was not a Dad.

He couldn’t be. Not in the way that Howard was.

_Peter Parker had called him Dad. A child, a fifteen-year-old kid, had called Tony his father._

“What happened?” Pepper’s voice floated into his mind, filled with worry as she looked at him. He was pretty sure he looked like a mess. “Tony? Have you been… crying?”

“Nothing happened.” Tony deadpanned, grateful that the tears had subsided for now.

May turned her head from where she had been watching TV, the worry immediate.

Tony wanted to run. His muscles twitched with the need, nervous energy a constant around his entire body as he avoided eye contact with all three people in the room.

“He was sent another video.”

“What?” May was up from the couch within seconds and rushed over to Tony. “What happened? Is Peter-”

“Peter’s okay.” Rhodey cut in before Tony could cut him off. “I think you might want to sit down. Both of you.”

“I can’t.” Tony turned and tried to escape, like the coward he was. He couldn’t stand the thought of May’s reaction. His voice cracked horribly, which caused him to wince. “I-”

“Tony.”

That’s how he ended up seated in his couch, eyes boring into the blank TV screen as Rhodey told May and Pepper what they had seen. He left the part about Peter calling Tony Dad out of it, surprisingly. Though, when May nor Pepper had been looking, his best friend narrowed his eyes in a way which told Tony exactly what he was thinking.

He’d have to do that part himself.

Tony held back tears the entire time, unfamiliar with the emotions he was feeling. He never cried.

May was crying by the end, and at the same time, Tony accepted that she hated him.

Before he could get a word in, FRIDAY spoke.

“Boss, I believe you will want to get down to the lab.”

Tony was up like a rocket had been shot under his ass, feet already taking him to the lift. Rhodey followed him, and together, they made their way back down to the lab.

“What is it?” He asked just before the doors opened, terrified of the answer. The urgency in the AI’s voice made Tony so incredibly anxious. “Fri?”

“A location has been sent via an untraceable sender.” Tony’s heart practically stopped.

“Show me it.” Tony snapped as he wiped his eyes for the umpteenth time.

A location appeared on his holograms, a red dot pulsing in front of him. It was basically in the middle of nowhere but was somewhat close to the Avengers Compound.

After Peter’s homecoming debacle, Tony decided to keep the tower. It was no longer the Avengers Tower, though, and it was mostly used for SI like it used to be. The remaining Avengers lived in the Compound, whereas Tony switched between the two. He didn’t want to be there if the Rogues ended up getting pardoned, and he had a feeling they would.

“Get me a suit.” Tony snapped, then looked at Rhodey. “You coming?”

“Yes.” Rhodey nodded curtly, then disappeared to get his own suit. “Go, I’ll meet you there.”

Tony did just that.

Without any precautions, Tony hurtled through the air towards the pulsing red dot on his HUD. He flew as quick as the suit would allow, though he knew he was testing its limits. FRIDAY would remind him nervously every few minutes that if the suit was pushed too far it could lose power, but _fuck_. Tony knew all of that already. He didn’t _care._

It took almost an hour for Tony to arrive, knowing Rhodey was right behind him. He landed on the ground with a thud, heart pounding from when he almost flew into a tree in his haste to get to the ground. Despite this, his eyes locked on the small building in front of him.

It was an old cabin. There were no lights, the door and windows boarded with planks of wood. The cabin looked severely run down by both weather and age, and Tony couldn’t possibly believe that this was where they had been keeping Peter this entire time.

There was no way. Not this close to the fucking Avengers Compound.

Tony launched himself forwards and blew the door open with his repulsors, vaguely registering that Rhodey had arrived behind him. Tony couldn’t even turn around to face his friend, because of what he saw in front of him.

In the middle of the room, Peter Parker sat chained to a chair.

Tony’s heart leapt into his throat as he locked eyes with the kid, whose face was drenched in tears and snot. The boy was chained to a chair with large, metal chains that Peter usually would have easily been able to break. That’s when Tony remembered that Peter had been drugged with something that repressed his powers, or maybe even got rid of them completely.

There were various cuts all over Peter’s face and his nose looked broken. Tony’s blood boiled at the sight, knowing that those injuries had all come from Beck.

“M-Mr Stark?” Peter cried and strained against the chains. “I-is t-that really you?”

Tony lifted the faceplate as he stumbled forwards, blind with the need to get to his kid.

“Yeah, it’s me, kiddo. I’m right here.” Tony reached out, but Peter cowered from him and _cried_. Tony stopped mid-step; arms raised in Peter’s direction as the teen writhed in desperate attempts to _get away from him_. “Underoos, it’s me, I promise. I saw what Beck did to you- that wasn’t me. I would never hurt you.”

“G-go away!” Peter cried again and thrashed violently. “You d-did t-this to m-me!”

Rhodey entered behind him, almost silent. “No, Petey. It’s me. Tony.”

Tony took another cautious step forward, which ended with Peter outright screaming in protest.

“N-no! S-stay away f-from me! I h-hate y-you!” Peter looked at him, _betrayal_ evident in his terrified expression. “I-it wasn’t B-Beck, it was y-you!”

“Peter, please.” Tony pleaded and stepped forward. “It wasn’t me. God, I’d never- kiddo, I would never hurt you like that. I’d never hurt you at all, buddy.”

“B-but you did!” Peter screamed again; head thrown back as he tried to escape the chains. “I h-hate you!”

“Tony.” Rhodey mumbled, tone full of horror. “ _Tony._ ”

“ _What?_ ”Tony snapped but didn’t turn around. When Rhodey didn’t answer fast enough, Tony went back to stepping closer to his kid. Peter thrashed even more. “Peter, I’m here. Real me. I’m _here._ It’s Mr. Stark.”

“NO!” Peter thrashed again. It was so violent that Tony knew the kid was going to hurt himself if he kept doing it. “GET AWAY FROM ME!”

“Tony!” Rhodey yelled again, which made him turn around.

“What the fuck?” Tony yelled out of both anger and fear. “What is it?”

“There’s no heat sig-”

The sickening sound of a gunshot cut him off.

Tony whirled back around, only to see blood pouring out of Peter’s head.

His body went numb.

Peter’s dead eyes looked right at him, the blood trickling down his face and onto his chest. The kid’s body was now slack against the chains, no longer fighting, not a muscle moving.

“No!” Tony cried and rushed forwards to his kid. Peter’s dead eyes stared at one spot as he hurried over and reached out. He paused for a moment, hands above Peter, who hadn’t even flinched. “No, no, no. Peter, buddy, you’re alright, I’m here. I’m-”

Tony then went to grab onto Peter, but instead of his hands meeting the dead body, he fell forwards.

It happened too quickly for Tony to grasp the reality of the situation, his faceplate snapping over his face just in time for him to collide with the cabin’s floor. Within seconds he had scrambled back to his feet and looked around wildly, tears present. Tony wasn’t even sure when he started crying.

When he looked back to the place Peter had been, he saw only Rhodey’s shocked expression.

“Where’d- where’d he go?” Tony gasped, panic catching his heart in a chokehold. He barely noticed that Rhodey wasn’t looking at him, but rather over his shoulder. “Rhodey, where’d he-”

“Stark!” Quentin Beck’s voice echoed over them, which had Tony spinning around yet again.

Beck stood behind him, arms crossed, the biggest smile on his face.

“You fucking-” Tony lunged at Beck in blind rage, who didn’t even blink. Tony was caught off guard for the second time when his arms and his entire body passed through Beck’s.

Tony crashed through the wall of the cabin; the sound of wood splintering echoed around him as he tried to get back up. Beck’s evil laughter echoed around him as he used his repulsors to blast himself out, anger and confusion clouding his vision as he flew back into the room.

“Tony, there’s no heat signatures. No one’s here.” Rhodey rushed, panicked gaze focussed on Tony. “That wasn’t Peter, it was an-”

“What a pleasure it is to see you again, Boss.” Beck’s voice sounded from behind him. There the man was, standing there with his arms crossed in triumph. “Did you like my little show? Was that Peter Parker enough for you?”

Tony fired at the man. The blast went right through him and into the same wall Tony had thrown himself into, Beck still standing there like nothing had even happened. Tony blinked a couple of times to see if he was hallucinating, but then it hit him. Beck was using the fucking tech on him.

“You took the bait just as I thought you would.” Beck’s voice now came from Tony’s left. There the man was, standing there with the sickest smile on his face. Tony raised his arm to fire, but Beck threw his hands up. “You are so gullible, honestly. You and Peter are so much alike, he might actually pass for your son.”

“Where is he?” Tony growled; the image of Peter’s caved in head tormenting him. “What did you do-”

“Kid’s fine. He’s with us, under Victoria’s care. She’s very gentle with him, she will be able to get through to him in many more ways than I can.” Beck shook his head and laughed again. “That little show just then was a test. We can’t shoot the real Peter, no, no. Not yet.”

“I’m going to fucking kill you.” Tony snarled, Rhodey completely silent. He had hardly said a word. “You won’t have anything _left_ after I’m done with you.”

“I highly doubt that.” Beck paused and appeared to be in thought for a moment. “Given that I’m not even here right now.”

Then, Beck disappeared. Two drones appeared in his place.

“I want you, Stark. You and your company, all your tech. Your blueprints. You give me that, and you can have the kid back. If he even wants you.” Beck’s voice was coming fromthe drones. “How do you think he’ll feel when he sees this? When he sees you won’t trade over the company for his life-”

“I will get him back.” Tony interrupted and raised both hands. “Fuck you.”

“Suit yourself.”

Then, Tony shot.

The drones exploded, and Beck didn’t speak again.

“FRIDAY.” Tony snapped, his heart beginning to pound even harder than it had minutes ago. “I need you to- is there any heat signatures?”

“None, sir. It is only you and Colonel Rhodes.” FRIDAY sounded terrified.

Tony collapsed on his knees. There was a rush of movement behind him, and before he knew it, Rhodey was knelt in front of him. At some point, Tony had flipped up the faceplate, though he had recollection of when he had done it.

“You need to breathe, Tony.”

Huh?

Oh. He couldn’t breathe.

“In, out.” Rhodey coached him, hand secure on his shoulder. “Copy me.”

Tony did as he was told, his mind retuning to that loud static.

Peter’s dead face floated through his mind at the same time. His eyes, lifeless and without any of his usual joy. The eyes he would always relate back to a puppy or a baby deer. _Bambi_. It had all seemed so real.

“Peter.” Tony gasped and rested his hand over the suit’s reactor. “Peter’s- he-”

“That wasn’t real, Tones. Peter isn’t here.” Tony hated hearing those words, even though they should have elated him. “Peter’s alive. None of that was real.”

Beck had tricked them. Tricked _him._

Tony sat there, on the floor of some abandoned cabin that held no relevance to him, eyes gradually becoming dry. He was pretty sure he was in shock.

_Peter, a hole in his head, dead eyes looking at him._

_Peter, alone in a place Tony couldn’t find._

“Tony.” Rhodey whispered after a while, a gentle hand coming to cup his cheek. Rhodey swiped a tear away and prompted Tony to look up at him. “We have to go.”

“Yeah.” Tony nodded, not sure when exactly he and Rhodey had been in such a dire situation like this. It hadn’t been like this since… since Afghanistan. “I- y-yeah.”

“Come on.”

Rhodey helped him to his feet, the only sound being their suits. Tony looked around the cabin, no trace of Peter ever being here present. No blood, no chair, no chains. All that remained was the hole in the wall and the destroyed drones.

It had looked so real.

Tony wasn’t quite sure what was real anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry tony


	7. Relief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually forgot to post this chapter lol i've been really stressed out lately with school but here it is
> 
> hope you enjoy

Peter flinched when Victoria slid into his cell, a tray of food in her hands.

He was curled up in his usual corner, hugging his knees, eyes dry. They had been dry since he woke up, however the fear never left. The memories of what had happened floated through his mind on a constant loop, along with the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach.

This morning, afternoon or night, Peter didn’t know anymore, appeared different from the rest. People bustled around, Peter only recognising William and Victoria. They all looked especially excited about something, which only made a bad feeling rise in his stomach.

He still didn’t have his powers. No super hearing, no super strength, no super healing, no sixth sense. _Nothing._

He was back as normal, boring and weak Peter Parker.

Peter was sure both eyes were bruised, along with a split lip and gashes littering both cheeks. Peter had a horrible headache, one he was beginning to feel used to, since it had pretty much been there since he woke up in this place. Along with that, the nausea made feeling comfortable especially difficult.

He wasn’t so sure if that was the drug, nerves or hunger. He suspected it might be a mix of all three.

Peter just remained huddled as Victoria approached him, her smile wide and bright as if she’d just won the lottery. She kneeled in front of him and placed the tray on the floor, Peter just able to see a sandwich and a cup of water.

This was only the second time he’d been fed since he got here, and it looked like decent food. Peter was starving, but for some reason, it was nowhere near as horrible as it usually was. He knew it should be worse, given that he’d gone days without food.

Could that mean… that Peter’s powers from the bite were actually gone? His high metabolism and everything?

No. He wouldn’t believe it.

Maybe he was just past the point of feeling hungry.

“Thought you might be hungry. We haven’t given you much food, have we? I’m sorry, I’ll be sure to bring you more.” She cooed and picked up a small rag that was also on the tray. It dripped with water; Peter unable to look at her anymore as he bowed his head. “You’re still bleeding, honey.”

He flinched a second time when she wiped above his eyebrow. He hadn’t noticed that he’d started bleeding, but now he knew, he could feel the slight sting of the cut there. The wound must have reopened, or maybe it had been bleeding the entire time, he had no idea. The rest of the pain he felt in his face distracted him from it.

“Our plan worked.” Victoria whispered after a little while, still dabbing at the cut. “He took the bait just like Quentin thought he would. Can you believe it, sweetheart? It was a lot more satisfying to watch than I thought it would be. Who knows, maybe Quentin will let you watch it?”

Peter had no _fucking_ idea what she was talking about.

He looked up. Victoria was still grinning.

“Here, eat.” She pulled away and gestured to the tray. “It’s not poisoned, I promise.”

Just like he had when Beck had placed food in front of him, Peter ate it as quickly as possible. It tasted good, it tasted like a normal peanut butter sandwich. It tasted similar to the ones May always made for him, which made the gaping hole in his chest ache painfully.

Peter winced when he almost threw it all right back up in Victoria’s face, which might’ve been satisfying if this wasn’t the second meal he had gotten. So, he swallowed it down with the water and forced it to stay in his stomach, then once again huddled up in the corner. He needed to pee and had needed to before Victoria even arrived.

He didn’t know how, though, he’d hardly had anything to drink since he got here. He also hadn’t even gone to the bathroom that much, which he wasn’t sure how that was possible.

“I need the bathroom.” Peter stated, tone flat.

“I’m sure that can be arranged. I’m sure you don’t want to have another accident.” Victoria stood, empty plate and washcloth in her hands. Her voice was still that sickly-sweet tone, and it made Peter feel like he was nothing but a toddler being spoken down to. “You look so exhausted.”

“Go away.” Peter snapped and looked at her shoes rather than her face. The undeniable burning behind his eyes started as soon as she left, however he couldn’t let them fall. Not again. He’d already cried so much, and it was obvious his captors got a thrill out of it.

But he wanted May and Tony. The real Tony, not Beck’s fucked up fantasy.

Illusion technology. Peter wanted to kick himself for not realising sooner, because he knew what BARF was. Well, sort of. Tony had so many cool inventions that Peter had begun to lose track, and the illusion tech was something that had slipped his mind. How he hadn’t realised it sooner made him want to scream in frustration. He really was just a stupid kid.

What his mind couldn’t grasp that it wasn’t Tony. It had never been Tony. Which must mean that Ned and MJ had never been here either.

Flashes of MJ’s decayed face haunted him. There was no other explanation than it being Beck’s tech. Someone’s face couldn’t just… look like that.

How could he have possibly believed that could happen?

He was so _stupid. Naïve._

It made his head hurt even more, so eventually, he stopped thinking about it.

Peter sat there and stared at the door as he waited for the next person to come and taunt him. The flow of people had stopped, and once again, he was alone in the dark room. He was yet to figure out why everyone was so excited and what exactly Victoria had been talking about.

After a while, he found he couldn’t care less what they were so happy about.

Peter wasn’t sure how much longer it was after that revelation when he felt the emotions come. They all surged into his chest at once, and suddenly, Peter was unable to hold back his tears.

Fear consumed him as he began to cry, feeling incredibly small and powerless and in pain as he sat in this cage like a fucking dog. He was good at keeping his sobs at bay for a little while, but eventually, a choked sob squeezed its way out of his throat and echoed around the room.

It felt like he was still being punched. Over, and over, and over.

_How could he have ever thought Tony would do that to him?_

They were fucking with his head. How could he have believed him? The real Tony was going to hate him for thinking he could ever do that. The real Tony… the one that still liked him, the one that cared…

Peter wanted to go _home._

The door swung open at some point, but Peter was too blinded by his tears to even bother looking at who had entered. The door to his cell opened a moment later, and a hand wrapped around his. The hand was large and firm, Peter knew it had to be a man. He didn’t want to look to see who it was.

“Come on, kid. Up you get.” It was a voice Peter didn’t recognise. It wasn’t Beck or William, the only two men he was aware of. The thought of a stranger holding his hand should have scared him, but in some fucked up way it comforted him.

Peter was disgusted with himself.

The man let go of his hand and put his hands underneath Peter’s armpits instead. “Kid. Up.”

Peter did as he was told with the assistance of the stranger, but his knees buckled immediately, and a strangled whimper left his mouth when his face and leg throbbed. The man held him up with a grunt, and for a moment, no one moved.

Then, the man began to drag him out of the cell. He wasn’t gentle, and Peter couldn’t stop the flow of tears as he was taken through the door all his captors entered and exited from. Bright light blinded him as he was led through a hallway, vision to skewed to see his surroundings. More importantly, exits.

He was dragged a small distance before they stopped in front of an open door. Inside, Peter was just able to see that it was a small bathroom.

Its appearance was completely different in contrast with the room his cell was kept in. Through the blur that was gradually beginning to recede, a neat and clean bathroom stared back at him.

“You have five minutes to organise yourself.” The man who held him up said before he pushed Peter inside, who in turn stumbled enough to lose his footing. Peter’s body fell onto the ground like a ragdoll, his weak arms barely able to break his fall as he let out a high-pitched yelp of surprise. “Five minutes, kid. Not a minute more.”

The door slammed, which made Peter flinch. He stayed there on his hands and knees for a few moments as the dizziness settled, before the words made its way to his ears. He had five minutes.

Peter raised his hand to grab onto the porcelain white sink and began to pull himself up. The surface felt a little weird, but when he looked down, it was white and pristine.

He leant against the sink and looked to where he’d think a mirror would be, but there was nothing. All that stared back at him was the white tiled wall. He wasn’t so sure he wanted to see himself anyways.

When the dizziness finally settled, Peter wiped the tears from his eyes and stumbled over to the toilet that was just beside the sink. Like everything in the room, it was clean.

Peter rushed to relieve himself, knowing he only had a few minutes left to do so. Once he was finished, he wobbled the short distance back to the sink and turned the tap on to wash his hands. The water was also clean.

Peter didn’t hesitate to cup his hands and drink the tap water, his throat dying to be hydrated. The process was quick, and once he had enough, he sighed and almost collapsed.

He gripped onto the sink with an iron grip and squeezed his eyes shut. It still felt weird under his fingers, like it was dirty, but there was no sign of dirt anywhere in the room. In his dazed state, he didn’t think much of it. He left the tap running.

Now that the distraction was gone, all he could do was let his eyes fill back up as he waited for someone to come and drag him out.

Suddenly, a loud thud broke the silence.

Peter’s eyes opened as he whirled around at the sudden sound, jaw becoming slack when he looked down at the floor.

A large snake writhed on the floor, loud hisses echoing around the small space. Peter was frozen with fear as it inched toward him, fangs barred and ready to sink into his skin. Some rational part of Peter’s mind knew it couldn’t be real, but it looked so real. Another part of his mind asked the question why would Beck torment me with a snake?

He couldn’t move. The snake was next to his foot now, still hissing.

Then, it lunged upwards at him, and Peter yelped and covered his face to protect himself from the vicious fangs.

However, nothing happened. When he opened his eyes again, there was no white bathroom. Instead, it was as dark as the rest of the place he was kept, but like the rest of the rooms, it was incredibly dirty.

With his mouth hung open, he whirled back around to the still running water. The water was a putrid dark brown colour, and it made his gut swirl. The sight of the dirt made him feel woozy, the urge to vomit rising as he realised had just drunk from that.

Peter resisted the urge to unleash his stomach as he launched himself away from the sink. The mould must have been what he could feel underneath his fingers whenever he touched the sink, which made him feel even more sick. The toilet was in the same state, black and dirty with mould.

“Peter.”

Peter jumped at the sound of Tony’s voice, then squeezed his eyes shut. This wasn’t real.

“Did you like the snake? I did.” Tony’s voice giggled sickly, and all Peter could do was shake his head and keep his eyes closed. The childish belief of _what he couldn’t see couldn’t hurt him_ ran through his mind as he listened to his mentor’s voice. “Why are you hiding from me, Petey? It’s just your Dad.”

“You’re not h-him.” Peter whimpered. “Leave me alone.”

“You don’t believe me?” Peter shook his head. “That’s a pity. I came here to save you, but I guess you weren’t worth it. You can’t even tell the difference between us.”

_It couldn’t be real. Tony would never say that. It wasn’t Tony._

_There was no way Tony was in this bathroom. Peter would have seen him come in._

“Please, B-Beck, stop.” Peter whined and felt his knees begin to buckle beneath him. “It’s not Mr. Stark.”

“You disappoint me, kid.” Peter buried his face in his arms. He hadn’t looked up the whole time, too terrified to see what illusion might be waiting of him. “You’re nothing but a worthless little kid. I never should have picked you. Maybe I should have picked Flash instead, hm?”

_Flash?_

There was no possible way that Beck could know about what Flash does to Peter.

“S-shut up!” Peter screamed and covered his ears with his hands. “You’re not him!”

And just like that, everything stopped. There was a long stretch of silence before there was the sound of a door opening, footsteps following shortly after. Peter didn’t fight the hands that yanked him to his feet, eyes still firmly shut as he was taken from the bathroom.

Peter expected to go back to his cell, though instead, he was chained to a chair.

“We have a present for you, kid.” Beck’s voice. “Open your eyes. Right now.”

“Fuck you.”

There was a long stretch of silence before there was a shuffle of movement. If Peter had his senses, he would have known the punch was coming. But since he had his eyes closed and he no longer had his powers, he didn’t see or sense the incoming hit until it connected with his cheek.

His head snapped to the side with a cry, pain reverberating around his head as he forced his eyes open.

Blood began to trickle down his face as he looked up at Beck, who looked furious. The sight terrified Peter, and right then and there he knew that Beck was the real deal. He knew now, that if Beck wanted him dead, he would die.

The thought of death was both welcomed and feared.

“Look at the screen.” Beck snapped, and Peter did as he was told. “We sent a false location to your Daddy Stark. And of course, he, like the idiot he is, bought it. I gave him a nice little show of what I’m going to do to you when he really comes to get you.”

Peter had no time to wonder what that meant when he was meant by the sight of himself getting shot on the screen. He couldn’t repress the gasp as his face went completely blank, a considerable amount of blood trickling down his face as Tony- _Oh my god, Tony._

He shook his head and held in the whimper. This wasn’t real. They’ve made it up.

“No!” Tony cried, Peter watching as the man rushed over to his corpse. This wasn’t real.“No, no, no. Peter, buddy, you’re alright, I’m here, I’m-”

The video cut.

_It wasn’t real._

Tears silently fell down his cheeks as he stared at the black screen, unable to get the sight of his own dead body out of his head.

A small stream of blood dripped off his eyebrow as he finally looked away from the screen and at Beck. The man appeared to be analysing his reaction, before a sinister smile appeared on his face as if he had just achieved something phenomenal.

“Why don’t we watch that again?”

The video began to play. Peter kept his eyes locked on the floor, but that only lasted so long before two hands clamped on his head and yanked it up. He was unable to control the pained cry when the hands pressed against all the wrong spots, his vision swimming for a few moments before his eyes landed back on the video.

His fake corpse was in frame, and Tony was reaching out for him.

“No, no, no. Peter, buddy, you’re alright, I’m here, I’m-”

The video cut again. Peter shut his eyes and heaved in a deep breath as flashes of what Beck had done to him a few hours(?) ago cycled through his mind on repeat.

_This wasn’t real._ Whatever Beck was showing him right now, it wasn’t real. Tony was still back at the Tower, there was no fake location. Peter wasn’t dead.

“S-stop.” Peter whimpered when the clip restarted. “I k-know it’s not r-real.”

“Not real?” Beck bellowed, Peter realising the hands wrapped around his head weren’t his. “This is very much real, Peter.”

The video played over, and over, and over. The hands eventually freed his head, and no one scolded him when it slumped down so his chin met his chest. The tears dried, and he barely felt anything as the sound of Tony’s voice echoed around him with every loop of the clip.

The more he listened, the more it sounded like Tony. The fear in his voice, the same fear Peter recognised from when he had gotten stabbed on patrol. The same fear Tony had after Peter had almost sunk that ferry.

But it wasn’t real.

_It sounded so real._

“No, no, no. Peter, buddy, you’re alright, I’m here, I’m-”

Peter would never know what had happened next. Tony had reached forwards to place his hands on the illusion’s shoulder, but it always cut before Peter could see what had happened. This factor alone made him believe that it was fake.

_It was fake_. What Beck had done to him in the bathroom just before proved that.

Images of the dirty water he drank filtered through his mind, unhelpfully making the churn in his stomach worsen.

Peter ignored it and focussed on what was happening in present.

But the emotion in Tony’s voice sounded so _real._

“P-please stop it!” Peter ended up yelling as he thrashed against the chains when he heard Tony’s broken voice for the hundredth time. “S-stop!”

“Have we hit a nerve?” Beck laughed from the corner of the room. “Have you considered our questions yet?”

“No! Fuck you!” Peter wasn’t sure where the anger had come from. “I’m n-not telling you anything!”

“I gathered you’d say that. I know a lot about you and Stark, Pete. But not everything.” Beck pondered for a moment. “I’m sure there’s some details you’re hiding. I’m planning on getting those out. We don’t have to tell your _Dad_ if that’ll get you in trouble.”

“S-shut up.” Peter wanted to sound angry, but it came out as more of a whine as the anger began to fade. The ache in his face and leg returned as he was reminded by it, and he no longer had enough energy to fight against the chains. “P-please just let me g-go.”

“No.”

The video began to play again.

Peter tried to block it out as he looked away, eyes back on the floor.

Before he could plead for it to end, the sickening sound of gunshots echoed all around him. Peter winced from the sound and tried to cower, however the chains prevented him from doing so. Instead, he waited it out, waited for a bullet to be lodged in the back of his head and for his life to end.

The gunfire continued, though another sound filled the air. The mechanical sound of metal on metal, the squeal of repulsors. The only thing that Peter could associate with those sounds was the Iron Man suit.

When the noise ceased, Peter braved opening his eyes.

What he wasn’t expecting was all the blood. Beck was slumped backwards over the table, body at an awkward angle as it was resting on a computer monitor. Blood leaked from multiple gunshot wounds, the most obvious one being in his forehead. The man’s body was completely limp, eyes staring unblinking at the ceiling.

Peter’s eyes then fell onto a stranger. This must have been the man who had dragged him to the bathroom. His body was in a similar state; however, the bullet had gone straight through one of his eyes.

His stomach violently jolted at the sight, which forced Peter looked away. Next, his eyes found Victoria and William. Both were drenched in blood and multiple wounds like the first two men, and along with them was another stranger. Another woman.

Before he could do anything, Peter vomited up the peanut butter sandwich and dirty water he’d consumed. His puke went all down his front as he heaved and groaned in discomfort. He was so tired of throwing up, but it seemed to be the only thing he could do besides cry.

He gagged for a few moments longer, then felt incredibly defeated. In a few hours he’d be starving again.

“Oh kid.” Peter lifted his head at the sound of Tony’s voice. He turned his head to see Tony standing by the unnamed man’s body, blood on his face. He wore a concerned expression as various SHIELD agents streamed around them, a few agents heading to each body. “It’s okay, kid. I’m here now.”

Peter just watched as Tony stepped over to him and out of the suit. The man cupped his cheek and wiped away some of the blood and tears, Peter unable to stop himself from leaning into the soothing touch.

“Are you real?”

“Of course I am, Underoos.”

_Underoos._

That was a nickname only Tony knew.

Peter couldn’t stop the relieved sob. Tony cooed and wiped away more tears, then began to unchain him. Once he was free, Peter launched for his mentor and sobbed into his shoulder despite the vomit all over the front of his clothes. The man became stiff, however Peter barely noticed as Tony began to manoeuvrer the both of them out of the room and down the corridor.

“It’s okay, Pete.” Tony said again, Peter relishing in the sound of his voice. “I’m going to get you out of here.”

“I’m sorry.” Peter cried quietly; hands fisted around Tony’s shirt. “I’m s-so s-sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Peter.” Was Tony’s quiet reply. “I’m going to take you home.”

_Home._

Peter didn’t reply as he was taken through a few more rooms. Soon, they’d be outside. Maybe Tony had brought the Quinjet? He must have if SHIELD was with him.

Tony had come for him.

The billionaire was practically carrying him now, though Peter didn’t care. He just wanted _out._

A few more minutes passed before they stopped. Peter didn’t think much of it at first, though the sounds of a cell door opening startled him out of his relief. He pulled his head up from Tony’s shoulder as he was carried into the same cell he’d been kept in since he got here, confused.

“Sorry, _Underoos_.”

Peter’s stomach dropped.

He blinked frantically to clear the blur in his eyes, a strangled sound leaving his mouth when Beck’s face came into his line of sight. The man was grinning, Peter immediately letting go. Beck did the same, and Peter’s body practically flopped onto the floor in horror.

“Jesus, kids are so messy. You got vomit all over me.” Beck sighed and pulled some kind of cloth out of his back pocket. “I guess I can’t blame you, though, it was a pretty gruesome sight wasn’t it. I guess you and Stark are both as gullible as each other.”

All the relief that Peter had been feeling poured out of him in a violent sob. He curled up in the corner and stared at Beck in betrayal.

He’d fallen for it. He’d fallen for it so easily.

Beck, somehow, knew that Tony called Peter Underoos. He’d used it to his advantage, and now Peter was here, back in this cell he was sure he would rot in.

“I’ll have Victoria bring you some new clothes.” Beck said again, then knelt in front of him. “I’m sorry I had to do that to you, kid. It was a test. I’d like to say I’m getting pretty good at being Stark. You immediately believed it was him, I’m actually quite astonished. You believed me over that clip. Believe me, Peter, that clip was very much real.”

No. Peter wouldn’t believe it.

Beck even looked guilty. “For the record, I really am sorry, you’re a good kid. But I have to do what I have to do, and it’s quite entertaining.”

With that, Beck disappeared with the slam a door. Peter stared at the spot he had been kneeling in and felt nothing.

It had been so real.

Victoria came in a short time later, very much alive and blood free, cooing to him about how sorry she was and how she wished they didn’t have to do this to him. Peter didn’t listen and thought about home instead. About May, about Tony. About Ned and MJ. About all the things he longed to have, about how a few minutes ago he had believed he was finally going home.

He had really thought Tony was here.

Fuck, he was stupid. So, so, stupid.

He continued to ignore Victoria’s disgusting words as she handed him a stack of new clothes. Once she was gone, Peter changed as if he were on autopilot, the pain even merging into the background. He wasn’t so sure he could feel anything right now.

Hugging Tony- No, Beck, had felt good. He cravedcomfort, and it made him feel so incredibly dumb.

He was Spider-Man. He was meant to be strong, not crying like a baby.

Peter closed his eyes, and eventually, the exhaustion took over.

-

“Peter, wake up.” Beck’s voiced intruded on his dreamless sleep. “I need you to sit up.”

With little emotion, Peter did as he was told. His back rested against the wall as Beck hovered in front of him, camera in hand. It was facing towards him, red light blinking, and all Peter could do was stare into it.

His entire face was pounding even more than it had been before he slept, his stomach growling with hunger. He stared into the lens, before his eyes flickered up to Beck when the man cleared his throat.

“This will be going straight to Stark.” Beck said, Peter’s heart jumping at the words. “Honestly, Peter, I feel a little guilty for what I did to you yesterday. So, talk. You have three minutes.”

“You won’t send it to him.” Peter mumbled, dejected, and looked away.

“You bet I will. I can just leave now and tell him you’re dead, if that’s what you really want.”

Peter let out a grim sigh and closed his eyes for a moment. Beck was lying.

But what if he wasn’t?

So, Peter reopened his eyes and stared back into the lens. He thought of Tony, the real Tony, who was still out there, hopefully looking for him.

“Hi, Mr. Stark.” Peter managed to get out, Beck completely silent. “Beck’s got me in some old basement. I don’t know where I am.”

“Two minutes.”

“I’m not gonna tell him anything.” Peter replied shortly after Beck’s declaration and refused to make eye contact with the man. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m okay.”

He paused for a moment to think about what else he could possibly say.

“I-if this e-even reaches you, I’m s-sorry.” Peter’s voice wobbled, all of a sudden overcome by the emotion. “I’m n-not telling him anything. I promise.”

Beck sighed, but Peter ignored him.

“Tell May I love her.” Peter whispered, a sudden realisation dawning on him. “And I l-love you, M-Mr Stark. It’s n-not your fault if I don’t make it out.”

“Thirty seconds.”

Peter’s eyes bulged for a moment. “It’s my f-fault, I should have paid more attention to what was happening. B-but it’s o-okay, I’m fine. But… I don’t have my powers anymore. I think B-Beck drugged me with som-”

“Times up.” Beck growled and yanked the camera away from him. Peter went to grab it, but his movements were too slow, and the man was already leaving the cell and turning the camera off. “That was very heartfelt, kid. I’m surprised you’d think I’m going to kill you that fast. Don’t worry, that won’t come until I get what I want. Then, you’re useless to me.”

“I hate you.” Peter whispered, though Beck didn’t seem to hear it and kept talking.

“I’ll be sure to enlighten you on what Stark’s answer is. Hopefully some blueprints and drones are in order.” Beck cackled and headed for the door. “Sweet dreams, _Underoos._ ”

“How do you k-know that?” Peter snapped just before Beck left the room. “Only D- Mr. Stark-”

“As I said, I’ve become quite the actor.” Beck smiled. “Plus, I took notes from the man himself when I showed him your corpse. I learnt a lot about the two of you during our time together.”

With that, Beck was gone with the slam of a door.

Peter couldn’t think. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t even cry.

He just sat there, staring into nothing, wondering when the fuck his life had become this. He wondered if that conversation was even real, or if it was just another one of Beck’s illusions to reveal his vulnerabilities. He wondered if Tony was even looking for him, or if Beck had gotten him already.

Beck had to be talking about the clip he’d been shown on loop. There was no way it could be real. Peter didn’t want it to be real. There had to be more of it, since the clip kept cutting every time Tony would plead and reach out for the fake corpse.

There were so many possibilities it made Peter’s head spin. He tucked it between his knees and let out a heavy sigh, feeling the overwhelming and consuming feeling of nothing.

Peter would give anything to feel the relief he had felt when he thought Tony was here. He’d give anything to go home.

He wasn’t even sure how long he’d been here for. It could’ve been weeks by now. Peter’s whole sense of time was off of its axis. All he knew was that he’d been taken on a Thursday afternoon after school, just after he rejected going to Flash’s party with Ned and MJ.

He didn’t want to be, he never wanted to be, but he was terrified.

Since he had nothing better to do, Peter curled up on his side on the dirty floor and shut his eyes.

Despite how much he tried, he couldn’t fall back asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> poor peter


	8. Phone Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was planning on posting this way sooner but i forgot. again. apologies
> 
> i don't really like this chapter that much but oh well, i hope you guys do! i'm sorry if it's boring
> 
> tony also swears a lot

Rhodey tried to talk to him the moment they landed, but Tony found he couldn’t speak. He felt like his body was in autopilot as he stormed though the lab, barely able to resist the urge to destroy everything in the room. His pain had turned to anger pretty quickly, however, he knew it wouldn’t last. Everything would crash down at some point, just like it always did. He’d done this routine before.

Howard made sure to drill it into him that his emotions were invalid throughout his entire childhood and teenage years. Those words followed Tony around all his life, despite how much he didn’t want them to.

“Tony…” Rhodey said as Tony collapsed into his desk chair. Rhodey didn’t seem to know what to say, judging from the long period of silence before he spoke again. “I’m going to make you some food, okay?”

Tony ignored him. He sensed Rhodey leave after a brief shoulder squeeze, though he didn’t really feel it. It was just a dull pressure on his numb skin. Everything felt numb.

So, Tony began to work.

He was sure how much time passed was until he was forced to stop, though he only stopped because of how badly his hands were shaking. Rhodey hadn’t returned, and when Tony asked FRIDAY the time, it had only been an hour. He suspected his friend was giving him space, which Tony couldn’t decide if he was angry about or not.

Tony leant forwards and buried his face in his grease-covered hands, a loud and shaky sigh soon forcing its way out of his lungs. His heart had begun to pound so hard he was sure he was about to have a heart attack as he sat there, memories upon memories filtering through his mind one after the other.

The gunshot, then the sight of Peter’s emotionless face. The way the blood dripped down his face and onto his clothes, the pale skin and dead eyes that stared at him without moving. Everything about the boy had resembled death, and that was something that should never be associated with Peter.

Every now and then, Tony would remind himself that it wasn’t real. That Beck had tricked him.

Beck had fooled him, big time. It couldn’t happen again.

The more he thought about it, the more his heart pounded and the more he wanted to break down.

The flip phone stared at him. Tony had left it on the desk in his haste to get to the location, and now that it was in Tony’s line of sight, he couldn’t stop looking at it.

No. He wasn’t going to call Steve. He couldn’t call Steve. They wouldn’t be able to help; they had no fucking idea who Peter was and what he meant to Tony and most likely wouldn’t take him seriously. Along with that, Tony wasn’t so sure he could even face his old friends like this.

Fuck, he was being selfish. Having more hands-on deck would _help._

Instead of picking up the phone, Tony launched himself back into work with a new idea in mind.

“Fri. I need something to detect the illusions. I can’t fall for that again.” Tony snapped as he began swiping through holograms. “Show me everything you’ve got on Quentin Beck and the BARF tech.”

“Certainly.”

With this new distraction, one that was going towards the chances of saving his kid, Tony’s hands shook less, and his heart rate slowed. He became focussed, Peter’s fake dead face up the very front of his mind, pushing him to go on. He couldn’t let that sight become reality.

If he was going to get his kid out, he needed to know what was real and what wasn’t. Tony had plenty of tech and files on Beck at his disposal to make that happen.

_But this tech would all be pointless if Tony didn’t even know where the kid was._

No. He could do this. He was going to get Peter back.

For about half an hour, Tony worked. His body was in some kind of calm state, even though his mind whizzed constantly with thoughts upon thoughts. He now had a pounding headache that reverberated around his entire skill, as if someone had put a clamp over his head as tight as it could go.

Eventually, Tony couldn’t do it anymore, and out of nowhere his calm state was broken and he cracked.

“Fuck!” Tony ended up screaming, then picked up the toolbox that had been sitting on the floor and hurled it across the room. It hit the opposite wall with a smash, DUM-E letting out a frightened beep as he rushed away from the tools that rained down onto the floor. “Fuck, shit. I’m sorry buddy.”

DUM-E rolled over to him with a chorus of sad beeps and reached out to hold Tony’s shaking fingers.

Tony sighed and looked down, barely managing a smile toward his robot. A smile felt unwelcome on his face. Tony didn’t feel like he could be happy while his kid was out there suffering.

DUM-E hovered with him for a few moments, then raced off and dug through the closet attached to Tony’s lab. He returned with a small, battered tennis ball, which he placed in Tony’s hand as soon as he was in reach.

“Are you still working on Pete’s location?” Tony asked FRIDAY, practically craving the reassurance.

“Yes, sir. I am doing everything I can. The solution to identifying Quentin Beck’s illusions is also coming along smoothly.” FRIDAY replied, voice concerned. “I do worry for your health, sir. I suggest you get some sleep and eat some food. Colonel Rhodes will be down soon with a meal, he decided to give you some time. Ms. Potts and Mrs. Parker have also expressed their concerns.”

“I don’t care.” Tony squeezed the tennis ball tight in his fist. He didn’t want to know if Rhodey had told Pepper and May about what had happened, and why they had to fly out of the tower so quickly. “I’m fine. Keep looking for Peter.”

“Of course.”

Then, Tony threw the ball, and watched DUM-E rush to pick it up. Peter did this with the attention-craving robot all the time, and the thought alone made his eyes burn. He didn’t cry, though, managing to keep his emotions at bay for the time being as DUM-E returned the ball.

With another string of happy beeps, Tony threw the ball again.

The game continued for a while before DUM-E got bored and settled for sticking by Tony’s side as if he were a dog. Tony wasn’t annoyed by it, how could he? The bot supplied him with comfort, as his creations had for years. Along with that, he was pretty sure DUM-E was missing Peter too.

Tony wasn’t so sure now if giving his AI’s so much emotions was a good idea or not.

Once again, his eyes drifted to the phone.

Before he could reach out to it, he was distracted by DUM-E’s happy beeps once again.

-

Rhodey came down a little while after Tony’s outburst. The man’s eyes had surveyed the mess of the lab as he placed the plate of pasta down beside him, obviously noticing that it was messier than it had been since he left.

Tony didn’t acknowledge his friend. He just continued to work on his tech as Rhodey sat on the couch in the far corner in silence. If he was honest, he wasn’t angered by the company like he thought he would. It was oddly comforting.

Several more hours passed, Rhodey left sometime into the night, and soon, it was morning. Well, eleven in the morning. Almost the afternoon, and Tony was still holed up in the lab when FRIDAY interrupted his blasting music.

“Boss. I am sorry to interrupt but you have received a video file from an unknown sender. Tracking location immediately.” Tony jolted from where he had been dozing off against his hand. He hadn’t even realised he’d almost been asleep and was a little disgusted at himself. “Play it.”

The video began immediately, and what Tony wasn’t expecting was to see Peter’s face close up. More so, he wasn’t expecting to see how bruised and bloody Peter’s face was.

The sight made his fists clench, flashes of Beck wearing _his face_ while abusing the kid floating through his mind at the same time. The way Peter had cried for him to stop, called him _Dad_. The way he took the abuse, like he couldn’t believe it was happening.

Tony ignored the sudden tightness in his chest and watched.

Peter’s eyes were shut. Through the grainy footage, Tony could see his chest rising and falling, which sent a multitude of relief through his chest as he let out a sigh. The teen was curled up on his side, arms wrapped tight around his knees as if he was protecting himself even while unconscious.

“Peter, wake up.” Beck’s voice suddenly snapped over the recording. “I need you to sit up.”

Tony watched Peter awaken, his brown eyes blinking open. Almost immediately the kid did as he was told, all relief leaving Tony when he took in the completely emotionless expression on his face. Peter stared right into the lens, eyes vacant of emotion, as Beck continued to speak to him.

“This will be going straight to Stark.” Peter showed little to no reaction. “Honestly, Peter, I feel a little guilty for what I did to you yesterday. So, talk. You have three minutes.”

 _Yesterday._ Something had happened yesterday. Tony had seen an illusion of Peter’s corpse, but that couldn’t be it. It couldn’t, because from the vacant look on his kid’s face, something had happened to _him._ Beck had done something, and Tony was quickly beginning to go insane because he didn’t know what it was.

“You won’t send it to him.” Was Peter’s mumbled response. The kid’s gaze fell from the lens at that very moment, Tony hating that he felt relieved when he saw the first traces of emotion pass over Peter’s face.

There had been a flicker of fear and dejection in his eyes just before they fell, and Tony wanted to reach through the hologram and run his hand through Peter’s hair.

“You bet I will. I can just leave now and tell him you’re dead, if that’s what you really want.”

Peter sighed at that, then closed his eyes. Then the video cut, and suddenly Peter was looking into the camera again. He looked just as emotionless as he had before, and Tony hated it.

He knew he was staring at a kid who had gone through way too much trauma at such a young age.

Fuck, this was _Tony’s_ fault. He should never have recruited Peter. This would have never happened if he didn’t.

 _His kid_ wouldn’t be looking so broken right now if Tony had just _left him alone._

“Hi Mr. Stark.” Peter’s voice was so quiet that Tony almost couldn’t hear him. “Beck’s got me in-”

The sound cut off, and all Tony could see was Peter’s moving lips. “Fri? What happened?”

“There’s no audio here, Boss. I believe it has been edited to obscure what Young Peter is saying.”

“Shit. Read his lips or something.” Tony said, sounding manic even to himself. Later, he would rewind the footage to try and figure it out for himself.

“On it.”

After a moment, the audio returned, and Peter’s youthful voice echoed eerily around the otherwise silent lab. Even DUM-E had fallen quiet, still by Tony’s side.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’m okay.”

“You’re not okay, buddy.” Tony whispered, wishing he could wipe those ugly bruises off of the teen’s face. It looked horrible. The more he looked, the more damage he noticed, the more dried blood he saw. Beck had done a number on him. “I’m going to get you out. I promise.”

“I-if this e-even reaches you, I’m s-sorry.” As if a switch had been switched, Peter’s face began to crumble, and his voice began to wobble. “I’m n-not telling him anything. I promise.”

Tony took in a deep breath. Beck sighed behind the camera.

“Tell May I love her.” Tony squeezed his eyes shut. “And I l-love you, M-Mr Stark. It’s n-not your fault if I don’t make it out.”

_I love you._

_He wasn’t supposed to be a father._

“Thirty seconds.”

“Kid.” Tony whispered. “I’m getting you out. You are not dying on me. I love you and I’m going to tell you that to your face because you are _not_ dying on me.”

Tony loved him. This kid, his kid, his kid that he had somehow begun to think as his own. A _son._

Tony felt stupid, talking to Peter like the teen could hear him. But it gave him the tiniest bit of hope and sanity that he’d see his kid again.

_I love you._

“It’s my f-fault, I should have paid more attention to what was happening. B-but it’s o-okay, I’m fine. But… I don’t have my powers anymore. I think B-Beck-”

The audio cut again, and Tony couldn’t make out what Peter had said. Beck seemed to cut him off anyways. “Times up.”

The video ended, and Tony was left speechless.

“What did he say?” Tony asked after a long period of silence. “Oh my God.”

“I believe he said something about a basement, sir. Would you like me to rewind the footage?”

“Yes.” Tony wheezed and rested a hand on his chest where the reactor used to be. He watched the small clip a few times, trying desperately to make out what the teen was saying. FRIDAY was right, it looked like Peter was mouthing the word basement. “He’s in a basement somewhere.”

“I believe so.”

That was so broad. Too broad. The number of fucking basements there are across America- no, wait, the _world._ Peter could be anywhere right now.

Tony’s eyes found the flip phone again.

“Did you trace a location from the sender?”

“There is no traceable location.”

“For fucks sake.” Tony buried his head in his hands again and repressed the scream that wanted to make its way out. “Play me the last part.”

He looked up again when Peter’s voice filled the room again. It was cut off shortly later, and the only words Tony managed to make out was _powers_ and _Beck._

The only explanation Tony had was that Peter didn’t have his powers anymore, which was clear from the horrendous bruising that he was sure would have begun to heal up by now.

Tony’s eyes fell back to the phone.

Clint and Natasha were trained spies. Assassins. They would know how to handle this better than him, they had ways of figuring out literally anything. When they were still here, Tony had no idea how they did it. Many missions were shortened thanks to Natasha’s intellect.

But this wasn’t a mission, this was his kid. A kid they knew nothing about.

Tony felt so conflicted that he wanted to bash his head on the desk.

“Get Rhodey down here.” Tony requested; tone dry. “Now. Tell him its urgent.”

“Of course.”

Not even five minutes later, Rhodey had clambered into the lab.

“Tony? What is it?”

“I got another video.” Tony mumbled; the video paused in front of him. Peter’s crumpled face stared back at him. “I don’t know where he is, Rhodey. I need help, I can’t do this on my own.”

“Can I… watch it?” Rhodey asked, and Tony nodded. He stayed there this time while Rhodey watched the footage, unable to look away from the kid’s face.

“I need to call them.” Tony mumbled. Rhodey caught the way Rhodey’s gaze fell to the flip phone. “I’m useless. Nat and Clint know more than me, they’re trained for this shit. My kid’s suffering out there and I’m sitting here like a dumbass waiting for a location to come. The footage we have from the day he was kidnapped is useless.”

“Tones…” Tony cut him off before he could be patronised.

“I watched him die yesterday, Rhodey! You saw what that tech does. He did something to Peter yesterday. You saw how he looked.” Tony could feel the tears beginning to well up behind his eyelids. “I can’t do this anymore, Rhodey. I can’t sit here and watch. I saw him die.”

“That wasn’t real.” Rhodey had sat down beside him, not touching him as if he knew Tony wouldn’t appreciate it right now. “I saw it, too. Are you sure calling them is the right thing to do? I think SHIELD-”

“SHIELD is not knowing a fucking thing. Besides, they’re not as good as Nat.” Tony scowled a little. “You know what they’ll do to him when he gets back.”

“You don’t have to tell them he’s Spider-”

“I am not telling them shit.” Tony snapped. “I don’t want them to know Peter exists. They’ll figure it out.”

“And the team won’t?” Rhodey questioned.

“I’ll tell them he’s mine. I just need their help, Rhodey.”

Rhodey sighed a little. “Will that really keep them from thinking he’s Spider-Man?”

“I just want my kid back, Rhodey!” Tony almost yelled, his hands braced under the table, ready to flip it at any moment. “His Aunt is up there waiting for me to do something. I don’t know what I can do! All my trackers are fucking here, useless. Peter’s in a fucking basement somewhere, _we_ fell into Beck’s trap yesterday. He’s dangerous!”

“You need to calm down, Tones.” Rhodey said carefully.

They fell silent, save for Tony’s heavy breaths.

“Do you want me to stay?”

Tony nodded once.

When the silence stretched on, Tony finally reached for the flip phone and brought it into his hands. He stared at it for a long time and wondered if this really was the only solution he had left, before he shoved it down. He couldn’t be selfish; this was Peter’s life on the line. If he waited too long, it might be too late.

Tony opened it and went to contacts.

_Steve Rogers._

He stared at the name for a short while, then swallowed once and pressed call.

Tony brought the phone up to his ear and listened to it ring.

It rung out.

“Shit.” Tony almost hiccupped, suddenly panicked. He called again. “Come on, Rogers. Fucking pick up. You said you’d _be there._ ”

It rung out a second time. Tony didn’t hesitate this time when he pressed call, Rhodey’s presence doing little to keep him calm. He tapped his foot against the floor, his knee rapidly bouncing up and down with the movement as he waited to hear Steve’s dreaded voice on the other end.

Just when Tony was about to give up, the ringing stopped.

“Tony?”

“ _Fuck._ ” Tony heaved, both out of relief and shock. “For fucks _sake._ ”

“Tony? Are you okay?” Steve’s voice filtered through him; Tony unable to respond through the shock. The concern in his old friend’s voice disgusted him. “Are you still there?”

“I-” Tony choked on his words. “I- I need your help. Allof your help.”

“Okay.” Steve paused. “With what?”

“My-” Tony shared a glance with Rhodey, who just looked at him sadly. “My- my kid. I n-need to find my kid.”

“Your kid?” Steve spluttered, but seemed to collect himself quickly. “Where are they, Tony? What happened?”

“I don’t know, Rogers!” Tony nearly screamed. “I don’t have time for this. I need you and the team here now. This is urgent. I wouldn’t fucking call if it wasn’t. I’ve run out of fucking options. Please, Steve.”

“I understand. We’ll be at the Compound by tomorrow night.”

“Hurry.” Tony snapped. “I’ll have a file ready for you all to look at.”

“We will, Tony.” Steve still sounded so concerned that Tony wanted to punch him. “I’m-”

Before Steve could finish, Tony hung up and tossed the phone back onto the desk with a thud. Then, he proceeded to wonder if he should have done that, if they would even be able to help him. Was he putting Peter in more danger by calling the Rogue Avengers of all people?

“Add all videos of Peter into Beck’s file.” Tony mumbled, hand resting on his forehead as he rubbed at the skin there, stressed. “Gather all information and put it in there. They’ll need to know everything if they’re gonna help. God, what have I done?”

“Tony.” Rhodey began, Tony having completely forgotten the man was in the room. “When are they coming?”

“Tomorrow.” Tony replied. “Do you think I just made a mistake?”

Rhodey didn’t reply for a long time. “No. Having more people in Peter’s corner will help.”

“But how do we know?” Tony said in earnest, unsure when the stress caused tears to form in his eyes. “It’s hardly been a week, Rhodey. What if this takes months? He might not last months.”

“We’re going to do everything we can to get him back.” Rhodey replied, seeming so sure of it. “You’re doing everything you can.”

“It’s not enough.” Tony wiped at a stray tear that managed to leak down his cheek. “It’s been a week and Beck’s already tortured him enough for him to break. You saw how he looked in that video. They did something to him.”

“I know.” Rhodey paused.

“What am I supposed to tell May?” Tony asked. “I can’t look at her.”

“Just take a breather. I’ll tell her if you really need me to.”

Tony nodded, and looked back to all the open holograms.

“I need to finish this as soon as possible.” Tony began to work, FRIDAY assisting without verbal command. Rhodey’s eyes flickered over the holograms for a while as he worked, seemingly trying to take it all in. “I’m not getting tricked by that bastard again.”

In the corner of his eye, he saw Rhodey nod. Then, without much more talk, the man left the room and Tony was left alone with his thoughts. DUM-E beeped sadly, Tony sparing a small moment to pet the bot’s claws before he launched right back into work.

Around half an hour later, his personal phone pinged. Tony furrowed his eyebrows and got up, heading towards where the sound had come from. He barely used his personal phone anymore, and it was basically for Peter’s non-Spider-Man emergencies at this point. That’s also why the watch had come into play.

It was underneath a dirty plate that Tony carelessly tossed aside. When he turned it on, his stomach turned to mush and the tears in his eyes were suddenly very present and waiting to drip down his cheeks.

It was a text from an unknown number with a picture attached.

It was Peter, curled up in the same spot on the floor, looking considerably bloodier. A haunted expression was on his face as he stared into the camera, much like he had with the video, the faint shine of tears in his eyes. The device the picture had been taken with had used its flash, which meant Tony could see _everything._

Below, the message made his blood boil.

 _You’re taking a long time, Mr. Stark. Tick, tock. Peter is being a very good boy._

Tony wanted to grab one of his hammers and smash the phone right there and then. The picture of his kid made his heart burst with agony as he stumbled across the lab, unable to look away from it as he shouted various commands to FRIDAY to track the location of the sender.

When she came up with nothing, which Tony had expected by this point, he couldn’t stop himself from punching the desk.

Acting on a whim, Tony called the number. It rung out, so he called again. It rung out six more times before he gave up, which ended with Tony hunched over his desk with his head once again in his hands. The headache had returned, and all he wanted to do was destroy something. Anything.

How Beck had gotten his personal number was beyond him. Only certain people had that number, like Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, May and Peter. Once, the Rogues would have had that number too, but he had it changed after Siberia. He wasn’t so sure anyone would try to contact him anyways.

Tony wanted to pick up that flip phone and scream at Steve through it to hurry the fuck up, but he knew that was useless. There was no guarantee that they were coming at all. He didn’t even want to see their fucking faces, but for a week Peter’s life had been at stake and in that week, Beck had managed to take away all of his kid’s spirit.

The teenager in the picture looked nothing like the Peter Tony knew, and that made him even more terrified. Once again, the thought of Peter being locked away with that psychopath and his illusions for months made Tony incredibly scared. Scared, that his kid wouldn’t even make it until them.

Tony knew how BARF tech worked. It was always so real, and it had never seemed more real up until he saw Peter die with his own eyes.

Eventually, Tony left the lab with strict orders to keep working on the tech. The billionaire paced around the lift as it took him to the penthouse, already knowing his route when the doors finally opened. He ended up in Peter’s room, sat on the bed, and just stared ahead at that Star Wars poster.

It felt like years since Peter had gone. _Years._

Tony laid down and turned to face the wall.

He never thought he would become a parent, yet here he was.

Howard would definitely be rolling in his grave right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if some of you don't like the idea of the rogue's helping out... but i felt it fit the story so if you don't like it... apologies
> 
> thanks for reading and commenting as always! sorry i don't reply to comments very often, i'm pretty forgetful if you can't tell


	9. Another Gone Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thought i'd update a little quicker this time since i'm still fairly ahead in writing. we're reaching the climax now, i'm so excited to see your reactions to the next few chapters!!! i'm both scared and excited to see what people think ahh
> 
> i hope you enjoy this chapter!

The beating was quick, but painful. Beck came in unannounced; Peter having been so out of it that he didn’t even realise what the opening of the cell doors meant. He simply laid there, eyes focussed on nothing, wondering if he looked dead or not.

Beck beat him for no reason at all, then shoved a phone in his face and took a picture. The flash hurt his eyes, but Peter simply curled back up as the man left with his head in his phone, fingers typing away at the bright screen. Peter didn’t even need to wonder where that picture was going, _he knew._

Beck didn’t speak to Peter once, which confused him the most. Something must have happened that he didn’t know about. Or, Beck simply needed something else to send to Tony to try and get the man to give him what he wanted.

Peter still didn’t really know what Beck wanted from Tony. All he knew was that he wasn’t going to answer any questions about Tony that could potentially be harmful to his mentor. Peter would never forgive himself if he got Tony trapped in here with him.

Peter wanted Tony to come. There was nothing he wanted more. But not if he had to give up his tech, or his _life._ Peter wasn’t worth any of that.

He’d rather stay cooped up in this cell being tortured for the rest of his life than have anyone he loved to get hurt because of him.

Victoria entered after Beck left, soft gaze uncomfortably locked on him. Peter couldn’t help the way he edged towards her; a part of his brain having associated the woman with comfort. Comfort he so desperately craved.

The other part of him was disgusted at the way he was acting, like a baby, nowhere near as brave as Tony and May would have expected him to be. Peter was Spider-Man. He shouldn’t be letting some stupid illusions get to his head.

“How are you doing, honey?” Victoria asked as she wiped the blood from his face. Peter hated this, the way Beck would have her come in and clean him up, like he knewthat Peter was dying to be looked after like this. “You’re getting a bit of a black eye here. Looks painful.”

“Go away.” Peter muttered and backed away from her, body too sore to really get anywhere. Along with that, he was boxed in by her body and the wall behind him. It made him feel incredibly claustrophobic, but he forced himself to ignore it as he glared at her.

“Just let me clean you up first.” She smiled and continued to rid his broken skin of blood. “We’ve achieved something. I think you’ll be very happy to see who we’ve brought in. Stark won’t know what hit him, will he? Beck thinks this will get you, and maybe even Stark, to talk.”

“What?” Peter groaned and pushed her hand away as hard as he could. It wasn’t very hard, and she didn’t even flinch. The drugs they’d given him must be fucking with his strength in more ways than one, because it seemed that he was even weaker than he had been before the spider bite. Or, maybe, it was the fact that they hardly fed him and had been beaten to a pulp. “Get a-away from me.”

“Believe me, Peter, you’re going to be very happy.” Victoria cooed sickly and cupped his chin in her hand. “It wasn’t very hard to get her. I’m surprised Beck hasn’t tried to use her already, he seems hellbent on constantly using Stark as your trigger.”

Peter’s head spun. Victoria was speaking riddles.

“It’s alright, baby.” She cooed again and swiped some more blood away. The pet name made Peter feel sick. Only May called him that. “Here, drink this.”

She offered him a cup of what appeared to be water. However, he had a really strong feeling it wasn’t. If he still had his spider senses, they would have warned him of the impending danger within the innocent looking cup of water.

“It’s just water.” Victoria obviously saw his hesitance. “We have no reason to poison you.”

“You took my powers.” Peter grumbled but took the water anyways. His mouth and throat were so dry, and the more he looked at the water the more he noticed it. Peter took tentative sips, waiting to pass out from a drug or for the pain to start. Gradually, he drank the whole thing.

“We did. But that was for your own good, you see? If we didn’t, you would have been able to get out of here. I’ve been told you were a pretty strong kid. Stronger that Captain America, even. That’s pretty impressive for a fifteen-year-old.”

Peter looked at her for a moment before he handed her the glass. Victoria took if with a gentle smile and stood up, towering over Peter as if he were merely a bug under her shoe. From above, she looked genuinely intimidating, almost evil from the way the shadows cast over her face. Peter knew that behind that gentle persona, a psychopath was staring back at him.

Everyone here were psychopaths. Peter knew that now. Yet, why did he keep accepting their comfort?

“See you in an hour, Peter.” Victoria whispered before she walked away.

Peter just sighed and rested his head on the cold floor, which soothed his aching head. It wasn’t just the headache now; it was more so the abuse he’d received over the last few days. Or weeks. Months. He didn’t know.

Peter closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was at home, in his warm bed with May destroying a meal in the kitchen. He should be in school, with his friends, not here. He should be patrolling as Spider-Man, saving people.

He had no way of knowing about how Queens was going without him there to help.

Peter thought about Ned, how he’d seen him get shot. But he hadn’t really, because everything around him was fake. Nothing seemed real. The cell might not even be real. He then thought about the way MJ had looked, her decayed face, empty eye socket with a spider crawling inside of it.

The last few events floated in his mind like clockwork, memories of Illusion Tony’s fist coming at his face making him flinch even though there was no one with him. The way Peter had been relieved at the sight of his mentor, only to realise that it was, yet again, Beck messing with his mind.

He wasn’t sure how much worse it could get, or how much more he could take.

Peter kept his eyes closed, but still couldn’t sleep. He was pretty sure Beck had given him a concussion, or maybe it was still the drug’s side effects.

All he could do was lay there and await the inevitable.

But how could he await the inevitable, when he didn’t even know what that was?

-

“Come on, May. Pick up.” Tony whispered as FRIDAY called Peter’s Aunt, worry a constant stream through his veins as he waited. When it rang out for the fourteenth time, Tony rubbed a hand down his face and almost let out a scream. “Call her again.”

It was safe to say that Tony was worried. May had gone back to the apartment to gather more of her things since it appeared that she’d be staying at the tower for longer than originally thought, and Tony let her. Who was he to say no? May didn’t have anyone right now. Her nephew was _missing,_ and she needed all the support she could get right now.

Since then, Tony hadn’t heard anything from her. It was when the hours stretched on when Tony began to worry, and that worry only amplified when May wasn’t picking up the constant calls he’d been making in the last thirty minutes.

When the phone rang out for the fitfthteenth consecutive time, Tony couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Get Pepper.” He would have called Rhodey, but he didn’t really know May and he had already gone to the Compound to face the Rogues when they returned. If May was ignoring him, maybe she wouldn’t ignore Pepper. The two had gotten close since Peter came into their lives, and it was more often than not that the two of them together was terrifying. So maybe, if she was hurting, she’d open up to Pepper more.“Call her again. Track her phone’s location.”

“Yes sir.”

Tony waited impatiently for the results and for Pepper to arrive, absently tapping a pen against his desk as he waited.

“Mrs. Parker’s phone is located at the Parker’s apartment, Boss.”

“Okay, good.” Tony mumbled, feeling a little hopeful and more at ease. If her phone was at the apartment, then she was at the apartment, right?

“What’s going on?” Pepper asked as she entered the lab at the same time, heels obnoxiously clacking against the floor. “Tony? FRIDAY said it was an emergency. What’s wrong?”

“May’s not picking up.” Tony said, tone surprisingly void of emotion. “She was meant to be back this morning. She hasn’t picked up a single one of my calls, but her phone is at the apartment.”

“What?” Pepper replied, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “How many times have you called her?”

“About fifteen. I’m worried, Pep.”

“Let me.” Pepper pulled out her phone, eyeing Tony for a moment. “Did you say something?”

“Like what?” Tony snapped then rolled his eyes. “I didn’t offend her. Why do you always assume the worst of me?”

“Alright.” Pepper smiled gently and put her phone to her ear, pointedly ignoring his last question. Tony wasn’t offended, well, he told himself he wasn’t. He ignored the slight jab at his heart and listened to Pepper as she spoke. As much as he didn’t want it to, the accusation of always being the one to do something wrong cut deep. “Maybe she just wanted some time to herself.”

“I don’t know. Don’t you think she would have let us know by now?” Tony groaned, feeling sick with worry and guilt. “What if-”

“Don’t.” Pepper stopped him before he could finish. “We don’t know anything yet. She might just be having some time to herself, or she fell asleep. Her nephew is missing, Tony. She’s struggling.”

“I know.” Tony’s shoulders slumped a little. _So am I._ “I’m just worried.”

“She didn’t pick up.” Pepper said gently, and pressed call again.

“Shit.” Tony let out a heavy sigh and dropped the pen he was holding. “Fri, get me any suspicious activity in the area from the last twenty-four hours.”

“Of course, Boss.” Tony shared a glance with Pepper, who had turned her body away slightly as she held the phone up to her ear. His heart pounded in his ears as he waited, digging his nails into his palms to the point he was sure there would be half-moon indentations in the skin there.

“She’s not picking up.” Pepper broke the silence and put her phone back in her pocket. “Do you want to send Happy over there?”

“Yeah.” Tony mumbled as he watched the progress bar on the holograms floating around him. “You should go with him.”

“I’m sure she’s just having a break from it all.” Pepper said, though even she sounded unsure about the words coming out of her mouth. “She’s missing Peter a lot.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Tony growled angrily. “I’m missing my kid too. Don’t you think she would have said something if she was taking some time away from everything? It’s not like her to fucking drop off the side of the-”

Tony stopped himself when he saw the look on Pepper’s face. It was a mix of concern, guilt and fondness, which infuriated him more than anything. It was more so because he didn’t know why she was looking at him like that.

“What?”

“Nothing.” The expression fell into something more emotionless. “Happy and I will go over there.”

“Okay. Good.” Tony turned away and focussed back on the progress bar. “I’ll update you if I find anything.”

When the silence dragged on, Tony had thought Pepper left. That was why he jumped at the hand that rested on his shoulder and squeezed gently,

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Pepper whispered and squeezed his shoulder again. “It’ll be okay.”

Tony sighed, because he knew that wasn’t true. “We don’t know that.”

“No, we don’t.” Pepper paused for a moment before the hand disappeared from his shoulder. “I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye.”

When Pepper finally left the lab, Tony let his body sag into the seat. He leant over and rested his elbows on the desk, head in his hands as the tears rapidly filled his eyes. He was pretty sure this was the most he’d cried in his entire life, though he found like he didn’t care as he let out a shaky breath.

He wanted to tell himself that May was fine and that she’d just fallen asleep before she could let him know. The more he thought about it, the more he realised how much he was overreacting, and that May didn’t have to tell him where she was or what she was doing.

That’s what it was. An overreaction.

The circumstances made him feel like it was more than just an overreaction.

He knew Peter would never forgive him if he let something happen to May. Hell, Tony would never forgive himself.

For the next ten or so minutes, Tony cried silently into his hands as he waited for FRIDAY to let him know she was finished collating all the security footage, if there was any. The apartment building that Peter and May lived in was a little run down, and he had no idea if there were functioning security cameras or not.

“I have footage from the last twenty-four hours.” FRIDAY interrupted the silence, Tony’s head shooting up to look at the holograms the AI had pulled up for him. The footage was already rolling, Tony absently wiping the tears from his cheeks as he watched.

It was grainy, but clear enough to tell that it was the floor May and Peter’s apartment was located on. Tony recognised the hallway. Once this was all over, he’d have to get that building better security cameras. No, he’d get the whole fucking city better security cameras if that meant keeping his kid safe.

Nothing looked out of the ordinary as he watched, nobody in frame. Then, May walked across screen, Tony’s heart squeezing painfully in his chest as he unlocked the door and disappeared inside of the apartment. Nothing about the action was abnormal, though it did little to calm Tony’s racing heart.

“Fast forward to the important part.” Tony snapped and wiped his face again.

FRIDAY did as she was told without complaint, and Tony wished she didn’t. He wasn’t ready for what he saw.

Three hooded figures stood in the hall in a tight knit group, clearly conversing with each other. From the angle they were standing, Tony was unable to see their mouths and therefore he couldn’t read their lips. Though, he didn’t feel like he really needed to. Their intentions were pretty clear, no matter how much he tried to deny it.

They did this for around five minutes before they dispersed. Right before his eyes, two of the men disappeared from screen and just left one, who stood in front of the Parker’s door. The man stood in front of the door for a while, sleeve pulled back as he tapped the screen of some kind of technology that was attached to their wrist. Then, the man looked right up at the camera.

Immediately, Tony knew who it was. Quentin Beck stared at him with mischievous eyes, as if he knew exactly that Tony would be watching. The man grinned, wide and shark-like, all teeth on display before he turned back the door. Then, right before Tony’s eyes, the man was covered in blue light and completely transforming.

Peter Parker, a _fake_ Peter Parker, now stared at him. The sick smile did not suit Peter’s face as Beck stared into the camera yet again. Then, the illusion mimed the action of their throat being slit.

Tony’s stomach jolted as he watched his kid – _no, not his kid, Beck_ – smirk before turning back to the door. Then, Beck began to knock on the door, some kind of wounded expression appearing on his face. Tony recognised what he was doing. _He was getting in character._

The expression was the same one Tony had seen on the real Peter countless times, and seeing it now just felt so wrong. Even though Beck had practically mastered Peter’s mannerisms, Tony could tell that there was something off about the look. It just wasn’t _Peter._

Tony almost vomited all over his desk from the sheer wrongness of the situation, how fast Beck could mask his emotions and act like Peter. Beck must have been analysing Peter this whole time as he tortured him, Tony’s blood boiling with both fear and anger as he watched Beck act almost identically to his kid.

“Don’t open it, don’t open it, don’t…” Tony trailed uselessly. He knew what was going to happen now. He knew exactly what had happened to May, there was no questioning it now. If Beck had been there, that meant May was long gone. If this was real, which Tony was almost one hundred percent sure it was, Pepper and Happy would arrive to an empty apartment. “Fuck. Don’t open the door.”

She opened the door.

The audio was obscured enough that he couldn’t understand their voices, but from the expression on May’s face, she wholeheartedly believed that it was Peter standing in front of her. Tony watched as she went for a hug, but the Illusion cowered, Tony’s heart tugging even though he _fucking knew that it was not Peter._ It unsettled him how much it seemed like Peter, when the real Peter was probably still cramped in that cell, beaten.

The picture Tony had been sent floated into his mind as he thought, the amount of blood that surrounded the child’s face.

“Don’t, don’t, don’t…” Tony muttered as May tried to reach out for Peter- _Beck_ again.

It was the next few seconds that Tony wished he never had to see again.

That sick smile appeared over the Illusion’s face, the one that paired with Beck and Beck only. The other two hooded figured reappeared in frame, and all at once, Beck revealed his true self and the others grabbed May. Before she could scream, one of them shoved a cloth over her mouth which was definitely filled with some kind of drug. Tony watched helplessly as May’s body became slack and crumpled to the floor, Beck nor his minions bothering to aid her as her body flopped violently.

Tony watched as his kid’s Aunt was dragged away, his chest closing in as his worst fears were projected right in front of him. Before he knew it, Tony was standing up and kicking the table leg as hard as he could.

It hurt like a bitch, but the pain barely fazed him as he looked around the lab. Without a second thought, he had FRIDAY call the suit, and before he knew it, he was up in the air on the way to the Parker’s apartment. He knew it was real, there was no way it wasn’t. But he had to make _sure._

“Am I dreaming, FRIDAY?” Tony asked as he tore across the sky, body alive with nervous energy. “This isn’t a nightmare?”

“My apologies, sir. You are conscious.”

“Fuck.” Tony swore as he got closer and closer to the building. “Where are Pepper and Happy?”

“Mr. Hogan and Miss Potts arrived three minutes and seventeen seconds ago.” Tony chewed on his lip. “Would you like me to call them?”

“No.” Tony replied, the building already in sight. He could see Happy’s car out front as he landed loudly on the pavement, starling a group of girls who had been sitting on one of the benches. Before he knew it, they were all crowding him and asking questions, which just made him feel claustrophobic even though he was inside of the suit. “Sorry ladies, but I have to get through. Important, uh, Avengers business.”

“Sorry sir!” One of them squealed and jumped out the way, all but shoving her friends to do the same. They all did as they were told with starstruck looks as Tony stomped his way to the entrance of the apartment building, the suit already opening to let him out. “Oh my God, it’s really Tony Stark, look!”

Tony ignored the squeal as he disappeared inside of the building, FRIDAY standing on guard without being told. He took the stairs rather than the lift, barely aware of the tears decorating his cheeks as he did so. His chest still felt like it was closing in, both from the panic and the exertion, but he ignored it all as he stumbled towards May and Peter’s apartment.

Pepper and Happy stood outside with wide, concerned eyes, a third person that Tony didn’t know with them.

“Tony?” Happy said first, a hand coming out to steady him. Tony let him, because he was pretty sure he was about to keel over. “What happened?”

Tony glanced at the stranger, who looked just as concerned as his friends. “Who is this?”

“Peter and May’s neighbour. He says he heard Peter and May yelling at each other.”

“Oh my God.” Tony wiped his face, trying to stop the next onslaught of emotion.

“They were both crying. I’ve been trying to get their attention all day, but apparently they’re not even in there.” The man said, eyes flickering over Tony’s face. “If I might ask, why are you here?”

“I don’t have time for this.” Tony heaved and moved towards the door. “What else did you hear?”

“Nothing. It just went quiet.”

“And you didn’t call the police?” Tony almost yelled, though he sounded really out of breath. “For fuck’s sake.”

“I knew the kid was missing, but…”

“But what?”

“Calm down, Tony.” Pepper whispered. “What happened?”

“Get him out of here.” Tony spat at the stranger, who had the audacity to roll his eyes.

“Excuse me, Mr. Stark, but I live here. The kid’s been missing for days. I have a right to-”

“You lost all those rights when you _didn’t_ call the police or come out of your shitty apartment to see what was going on!” He was mostly _venting_ now. That this useless man had been here and did nothing. “You knew the kid was missing and you didn’t call. How fucking stupid could you be?”

“You have no right coming here. What’s this kid to you anyways?”

“Guys!” Pepper tried, but Tony and the man ignored her. Tony’s defences went up as he looked at the man dead in the eye, gaze unmoving.

“He’s _my kid._ ” At those words, the man’s mouth clamped shut in shock. “Get the fuck out of my sight.”

With that, Tony shoved past Happy who was still blocking the door and practically fell into the Parker’s apartment.

Now that he was here, he didn’t know what to do. Why had he come here?

The apartment looked like it always did. Nothing looked out of place, and it definitely didn’t look like someone had been kidnapped just hours before. Everything in the room was untouched, and Tony had no idea what to think as he stepped around the eerily quiet apartment.

It was cold, too.

Tony moved around the apartment, unsure whether he was searching for something out of place or May herself. He wished for this to be one cruel joke. But he knew it wasn’t.

Somehow, as if an invisible force had been pulling him there, Tony ended up in Peter’s room. It looked the same as it always did, much like the rest of the apartment, and it made something very paternal rise in his chest as he looked around. The room still smelled like Peter, and Tony wanted nothing more to have this kid in this room, safe, away from Beck.

He knew that wouldn’t happen unless he found him soon. If he waited too long, Peter and May might not make it, and the thought terrified him. The thought of moving on from this was horrifying if Peter didn’t make it out alive.

Tony moved around the room in silence, aimlessly prodding at things. He studied Peter’s decathlon trophies, a ghost of a smile appearing on his face when his gaze settled on two framed pictures on Peter’s beside table.

One of them was Peter, May and Ned, the three of them smiling at the camera. They all looked younger, Peter looked about ten, as did Ned. Tony picked it up and ran his thumb over Peter’s cheek, before the smile was replaced with a frown. He looked to the next picture, which had his heart pounding so hard he had to sit down.

It was a picture of himself and the kid. Tony remembered it being taken. Peter was teaching him the meaning of a selfie and had done a demonstration. Peter had a huge smile on his face and a mischievous glint in his eye as he looked at the camera, while Tony was in the middle of rolling his eyes. He looked at the photo for a few more minutes before he sighed, gaze falling to the kid’s pillow.

Resting on the pillow was a small teddy bear. Tony picked it up, the small and teary smile returning as he looked at the thing. It was small, it’s arms fairly out of proportion, but it was cute. It had red feet, Tony running his thumb over the small circles. The things beady eyes looked up at him, resembling so much innocence it made Tony feel both scared and calm at the same time.

He turned the bear around in his hands, eyes finding the tag. _Peter.P_ was scribbled on it in black marker that was beginning to fade. It looked well used, its white fur darker and dirtier in some places, but other than that the stupid thing was adorable. Tony had never seen Peter with it, even when the boy had stayed over a few nights, and this led him to wonder if Peter had hidden it from him.

After a while of just sitting there staring down at the little bear in his hands, someone knocked on the door. He looked up to see Pepper, her gaze sad.

“We’ve called the police; they should be here soon.” She said gently as she glanced at the bear.

“I’ll have FRIDAY pass all the information over.” Tony mumbled and dropped his gaze back to the little bear. Its little arms were merely stumps, Tony wondering how this was the bear that Peter had picked. “Fuck, Pepper…”

“Alright.” Pepper’s voice wobbled a little. Tony didn’t look back up. “We’ll be outside.”

“You can go. I have the suit.”

Pepper didn’t respond, and when Tony looked back up, she was gone.

Tony sighed and wiped his eyes. Finally, he stood up, bear in hand. He glanced around the room for a little while before he forced himself to leave. Tony gently shut the door behind him and moved throughout the rest of the apartment as quick as he could and kept his head down as he stomped down the stairs.

Once he was back at ground floor, the police sirens could be heard in the distance. Tony ignored them as he got into the suit, hundreds of people having gathered outside of the apartment building while he had been inside. Tony ignored them all and tucked the bear into a safe place within the suit, before he took off. He was vaguely aware of Happy and Pepper calling him before they left, but he found he couldn’t give less of a fuck right now.

“Send everything about Beck to the police.” Tony said as he soared across the sky back to the tower. “Make sure they know about the illusions and May.”

“Of course, Boss.” The AI replied quietly, as if she knew that he was seconds away from breaking down again. “I regret to inform you that five minutes fifty-four seconds ago that the Rogue Avengers have arrived at the Compound. I took the initiative of sending Mr. Rogers, Mr. Barton and Ms. Romanoff all files regarding Beck. I did not disclose anything about Mr. Parker as of yet.”

“Thanks Fri.” Tony sighed after he processed the overload of information. “Send them the video footage of Peter’s torture. They have to know everything if they’re going to help.”

“Done.”

“Tell Rhodey I’ll be there soon.”

“Also done. Is there anything else, sir?”

“Not for now.”

Instead of returning to the tower, Tony headed for the Compound.

He didn’t want to see the others. In fact, he was hoping he’d never have to see the Rogues again, despite how much he missed them.

But this was for Peter, and now, May.

Tony would do anything for Peter.

Even if it meant confronting the Rogues, which had become one of his worst fears.

But, once again, Tony would do _anything_ for that kid.

_His kid._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is peter's bear :)  
> https://www.ebay.com/p/24012544303
> 
> it's so cute. as soon as i saw it's stumpy arms i knew it was something peter would love
> 
> please let me know what you think! once again, thank you all for the lovely comments as always. it means a lot! <333


	10. This Isn't Real (Or is it?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i actually forgot what i wrote for this chapter since it was a little while ago, i surprised myself in some parts lmao
> 
> anyways enjoy, i don't really have much to say

The hour, or what Victoria had said was an hour, dragged on forever. Peter was pretty sure that she’d lied, that it had really been days, since he had no sense of time anymore. When unable to sleep, time passed incredibly slowly. He had no way of telling if it was night or day, or what day it was. All he remembered was that it had been a Thursday when he was taken.

He lay awake, staring at the cell bars, mind blank for the most part. Though, more often than not, curiosity mixed with fear would arise as he wondered what Victoria said he’d be so excited about. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t going to be something to be happy about. The last time she said that, they showed him dying on loop.

It made him extremely paranoid. Peter didn’t want to see more illusions. He didn’t want to be here anymore.

So, when Beck entered the room, Peter just looked at him. Despite the blank look he plastered on his face, internally, all he felt was panic.

“I have a surprise for you, Peter.” Beck entered the cell and knelt down in front of him, hand coming to rest on his shoulder. Peter flinched away from the touch and pressed his back against the wall behind him, fear surging through his body as Beck’s sick eyes zoned in on him. Already, the facade he put up had already cracked. “You’re going to need to come with me. No illusions, I promise.”

Peter shook his head and curled up tighter. “No.”

“Come on, _Underoos._ Up you get.”

It felt like Peter had been slapped in the face. Every time Beck said that nickname, he was reminded of Tony, and how much he wanted the man to be here with him. How much he wished that he would really crash into the room and kill everyone in it for him. How much he wanted Beck’s illusion to be _real_.

“Don’t c-call me t-that.” Peter stuttered out, hating how much his voice cracked. Now, the fear had taken over, the many scenarios of what Beck might do to him next all flashing through his mind. “Leave me alone.”

“Get up, Peter.” Beck suddenly growled and grabbed onto him. Peter yelped in pain as his body was yanked into a standing position, all his muscles screaming in protest. He needed to pee again, but he ignored that as the rest of his body threatened to collapse on him. “I’m sick of being nice to you. You’re too good of a kid. It makes me furious that Stark brainwashed you like he did to me.”

“He didn’t b-brainwash me. Please…” Peter mumbled as he weakly pulled against Beck’s iron grip. It only served to make his body hurt more. “L-let me go.”

Beck yanked him forward, which caused an involuntary cry to leave his mouth. The beatings and lack of food was beginning to catch up with him for real now. Without his powers, his super healing wasn’t taking care of everything as quickly as it would have. Peter hadn’t realised how used to the super healing he had become, and how he had taken it for granted.

Even though his powers didn’t take away the pain, it seemed to hurt ten times more now that his body wasn’t actively taking care of things as quick as it used to.

He hadn’t meant for his cry to sound so wounded and pathetic, but he couldn’t help it. Beck paused for a moment and looked at him, his eyes shining with something that may have resembled guilt. However, Peter didn’t believe the guilty look in the man’s eye for a second.

“Come on, kid.” Beck grumbled and began to pull him along. Peter’s body crumpled like a rag doll as he was dragged from the cell and back into the room he’d seen Ned die in, his eyes having closed somewhere during transportation. His legs didn’t seem to want to work anymore.

Peter didn’t open his eyes as he was strapped into a chair, deathly afraid of what he might see if he did.

“Open your eyes, Peter. You’re going to really like this.”

Instead of doing as he was told, Peter looked down and pressed his chin into his chest and bit down hard on his bottom lip. He winced when it stung, having forgotten that there was already a cut there. When he tasted the metallic taste of blood, he realised he must have reopened the wound.

A moment later, he felt the air shift around him as someone moved. Before Peter could even think to anticipate it, a hand grabbed a bunch of his hair from and yanked his head up.

He let out another whimper at the violent action, tears beginning to burn in his eyes from the sheer force. The top of his head was resting against the person holding him, his neck aching with the unnatural angle. However, he kept his eyes closed and whimpered again instead.

“Open your eyes!” Beck screamed in his face, which told Peter that Beck wasn’t the man holding him. Peter let out a strangled kind of sound he didn’t even know he was capable of producing as he shook his head, squeezing his eyes so tight it made the cuts and bruises ache. “Peter. Open your fucking eyes.”

When he was slapped, Peter opened his eyes. It was mostly from the pain as he struggled against the chairs, eyes flickering around the room in frantic motions. When his head was pulled back again, he stilled, chest heaving with exertion and panic.

Once he stopped moving and his vision stopped swimming, he was able to focus on what was in front of him.

_May._

She lay asleep, or more accurately, unconscious, chained to a chair just like his. Peter stared at her for a long time, the only sound in the room being his loud and laboured breathing. He couldn’t stop the cry from rising in his throat as he shook his head and closed his eyes again.

He couldn’t look at her. It wasn’t real. Seeing her face made him long for his real aunt and home so much more.

After a while, he was slapped _hard_ across the face a second time. It was so violent his head snapped to the left, more tears springing in his eyes from the contact alone. The person behind grabbed his head and clamped his hands on either side, and with another violent tug he was forced to look at the illusion of his Aunt.

May was covered in bruises, some blood trickling down her face from the gash that expanded across her forehead. The tears finally began to slip down his cheeks as he focussed on her face, knowing that this wasn’t real. She wasn’t really here; she didn’t really look like that. Peter knew it was another one of Beck’s sick jokes to get him to reveal information about Tony.

“She was too easy to take.” Beck began as he appeared in Peter’s vision, that signature sickening smirk on his face. Peter shook his head and leaned away from the man, who only laughed and began to head towards May instead. “My tech can be pretty convincing, as you might already know. You’re also not hard to imitate. You should really watch yourself, kid. You make it too easy, she fell for it right away.”

“T-this isn’t re-al.” Peter choked out, wishing he didn’t have to stare at the illusion of May sat right in front of him.

“Oh, this is very real, Peter.” Beck smiled and leant over May, pushing her hair out of her face. Peter couldn’t resist the noise he made when he realised how battered and bruised his aunt actually was, only to jolt back into reality a moment later when he remembered she wasn’t real. None of this was real. She was safe at the apartment, at home. “This is real.”

“No, it’s not!” Peter screamed and thrashed against the hands holding his head. The hands only squeezed tighter. “L-let go of me!”

“You don’t believe me now, kid. But you will.” Beck left the illusion and stepped back over to him. He bent down, face taking up all of Peter’s vision as he continued to fight against the hands clamped around his head. “I’ll leave her unharmed if you just give me some information.”

“No.” Peter growled and tried to advert his eyes. He didn’t sound as angry as he hoped, and even to his own ears he sounded like some toddler who hadn’t gotten his way. “I’m n-not telling y-you anything.”

“You will, kid.” Beck smiled and straightened back up. “Wake her up.”

William walked into view, holding something in his hand that Peter hadn’t seen before. He watched in silence as the man walked up to the illusion and raised the device to her skin, the tears beginning to well up even faster when he pressed down on the trigger. The illusion came to life with a shrill scream that sounded so much like May it forced a sob up his throat.

He closed his eyes, unable to watch as May thrashed in her chair in pain. His heart pounded in his ears as he reassured himself that this wasn’t real, that she wasn’t really here.

When the screaming finally stopped, the room was filled with heavy breathing that wasn’t his own.

“P-Peter?” May’s gentle voice echoed over him, which made his stomach jolt. His bladder was beginning to pound along with his heart, the need to release beginning to make itself known yet again as he tried to let the illusion’s words wash over him. He couldn’t fall for it again; he couldn’t get his hopes up. “P-Peter, b-baby. It’s me.”

Peter shook his head and kept his eyes shut.

“He doesn’t believe you.” Beck spoke up for him, a particular snide tone in his voice. “He thinks you’re not real.”

A few moments passed, the sound of breathing deafening in the silent room.

Then something exploded. Peter flinched against the sound and tried to curl into himself, the hands finally releasing his head. He kept his eyes shut as an overload of new sounds vibrated around the room, tears still somehow forcing themselves through his eyes even with them closed.

The all too familiar sound of the Iron Man suit made it to his ears a few moments after, and Peter couldn’t help the small amount of hope that it was real. On a whim, he opened his eyes, only to come face to face with the Iron Man armor.

It stared at him, blue eye slits flickering, the armor itself severely damaged. It looked like the entire left side had been burned off, much like the illusion Beck had showed Peter of Tony. Peter looked at the suit, desperately wanting to believe that this was real. But it wasn’t. He knew it wasn’t.

“P-Peter, it’s not real.” May’s voice broke through all the other sounds as the suit continued to stare at him.

“She’s right.” Tony’s voice came from the suit as it straightened up. Peter watched as the right eye slit powered off, only for a black spider to come crawling out of it. It wasn’t small, either, it was huge and Peter couldn’t help but lean away. He shook his head, entire body trembling as the spider jumped onto him and crawled up his chest. “Tony would never come for you, kid. He’s too scared of losing his precious weapons. He doesn’t _care_ about you.”

Peter screwed his eyes shut to block out the terrifying image of both the armor and the spider making its way up his chest. He could feel its legs against his neck, goose bumps rising from the flesh as he waited for it all to be over. _This wasn’t real._

Tony’s, or fake Tony’s, laugh echoed around the room. When Peter opened his eyes again, the armor was gone, and Beck stood in his place. He no longer felt the spider on him, and even though Peter couldn’t see his neck, he knew it had never been there in the first place. How it had felt so real baffled him, but he ignored it and tried to fend off the oncoming panic attack.

“Give me information about Stark’s tower.” Beck sneered, face extremely close to Peter’s as he spoke. “Give it to me and your Aunt will live. I’ve had my fun with you, and quite frankly, I’m getting bored. You’re a good kid, Pete. Too bad that won’t save you anymore.”

“No.” Peter leant back as far as he could. “G-get away from me.”

“I can understand why you don’t trust me. A lot of things I have done to you recently explains your suspicion. But trust me, kid, this is one hundred percent real.” Beck caressed his cheek, then dug his thumb into one of the cuts on Peter’s face. Peter couldn’t help the anguished cry that left his mouth as Beck pressed down, effectively reopening the wound. “Tell me how to get in. If Stark won’t give me the drones, I’ll go in there and get them myself.”

“G-go to hell.” Peter spat and pulled his face away from Beck’s grasp. “T-this isn’t real.”

“I guess this is my fault.” Beck finally let go and straightened back up. “Maybe I was a little too harsh on the illusions. My bad.”

Beck began to step away from him, pulling up his shirt to reveal the gun tucked into his pants. Peter watched on in horror, chest shuddering with uneven breaths. He could feel the panic attack coming on in full force now, he could feel his bladder prodding uncomfortably in his abdomen. He could _feel <,em> his _entire_ body throbbing._

__

Beck walked around May, gun raised and pressed against the side of her head. May cried, eyes desperately looking at Peter. He couldn’t meet the illusions eye, more so staring at the gun pressed to her head. It looked so real, but Peter knew it wasn’t. The day he had thought Tony rescued him was exactly like this.

__

“This is very real, Peter.” Beck smiled, visibly pressing the gun harder against May’s head. “Go on, talk to him, sweetheart.”

__

“It’s me, P-Peter.” May cried, which forced Peter to meet her eyes. “I promise. Don’t listen to him.”

__

Peter shook his head. “S-stop.”

__

“Please believe me, h-honey.” The illusion was sobbing now, and Peter hated it. He hated how real it seemed, how alike the illusion was to the real May. But the real May wasn’t here, she was at home, safe and away from Peter’s torture. “T-Tony’s been looking for you this w-whole time. He hasn’t given up.”

__

Peter shook his head again. That was something Beck would definitely say to get a reaction out of him. It just wasn’t real.

__

“He still doesn’t believe you. Pity.” Beck smiled at Peter. “When you’re dead, maybe he will.”

__

The sound of a gun cocking made Peter jump. He stared ahead, eyes wide as he looked between Beck and the illusion.

__

_This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real._

__

“But I won’t kill you just yet.” The gun dropped away from May’s head almost as quick as it had been put there. “I’ll give you two some time to talk.”

__

With that, Beck, William and the man that had been holding Peter disappeared from the room. Peter shifted in the chair, the chains digging uncomfortably into his skin as he refused to look at the illusion. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop crying. It seemed to be the only thing he could do lately.

__

“Peter.” May’s voice echoed around the small room. It was shaky, but gentle, and Peter _hated_ it because none of this was real. “I s-saw what they did to you b-baby. I k-know how h-hard this for you. But it’s me, honey. It’s really me.”

__

“Stop.” Peter heaved and shook his head. “This isn’t r-real!”

__

“Tony’s looking for you.” The illusion repeated the words, which caused Peter to feel even more terrified. “He hasn’t stopped. Believe me, sweetheart. I-it’s going to be okay. We both love you so much.”

__

“Stop!” Peter yelled louder this time and thrashed in the chair. This made his body ache in a way he couldn’t even describe, but he ignored it and continued to strain against the restraints. “I know t-this isn’t real! L-leave me alone, Beck!”

__

The room fell silent. Peter found himself grateful, but he knew the illusion was still looking at him. Peter met May’s eyes and stared right back, trying to figure out her expression. She looked so hurt, so much like the night she had found out Peter was Spider-Man. She looked terrified, she looked real, but Peter knew she wasn’t. He now knew how good at illusions Beck was, and this was only another one of his cruel tricks.

__

May smiled at him, lips wobbling dangerously as she did so. Peter didn’t return the smile and dropped his gaze to the dirty floor. His entire body ached and screamed as he sat there, unable to move around enough to free the pressure on the spots that hurt the most.

__

He didn’t know how long he sat there, eyes on the floor, until people came back into the room.

__

Peter forced himself not to make a sound as he was dragged from the room and back into his cell. He curled up in the corner and shut his eyes, wishing he could fall asleep so this would all be over. He wanted to fall asleep and never wake up.

__

Minutes later, Peter was jolted back into reality when sound erupted in the room. He opened his eyes to see May getting dragged through the room, only to be tossed into the cell like she was nothing more than trash. Peter watched, horrified, as Beck smiled and him before he disappeared behind the door.

__

Peter stared at the place Beck had just been for a long time until May’s voice filled his ears once again.

__

“Peter.” The illusion whispered, Peter merely watching as she got into a seated position. He watched her wince then raise a hand to her head, swiping at the blood there. It simply trickled through her fingers and down her palm. When she turned to look at him, Peter quickly looked away and curled up tighter. “Honey, it’s me.”

__

Peter didn’t reply. He simply sat there with his knees to his chest, despite how much the cramped position hurt his body. It made him feel safer, as childish as it was.

__

“Do you remember the t-time we went to the StarkExpo?” Illusion May whispered after a while, Peter’s heart practically stopping as he listened to her words. “You, me and Uncle Ben? Remember when Tony saved you?”

__

Peter didn’t answer. Of course he remembered.

__

How could Beck have known something like that?

__

“You begged Ben and I to go with you. You said you wanted to meet Iron Man.”

__

Peter remembered saying that. He had been young at the time with the fantasy of meeting Iron Man at the StarkExpo. Not only had it actually happened, well, sort of, Peter did end up meeting Tony years later. Just the thought of Tony had his heart swelling, the want for his father beginning to eat away at him. The want for his real Aunt was right alongside it.

__

“Y-you’re not real.” Peter muttered, despite the accuracy of May’s story. However, Beck knew everything about him. This could quite possibly be another thing he knew, which led Peter to think that maybe Beck had been stalking him for much longer than he thought. “I know it’s you, B-Beck.”

__

“It’s really me, baby.” May shuffled closer. Peter didn’t move as she dragged her body across the cell, right up to the point where she was right next to him. He flinched violently when she reached out to hold his hand, expecting a hit. “I’m right here. I’m real.”

__

“Get away from me.” Peter sobbed quietly and shook his head. This was tooreal. “I k-know you’re not real.”

__

Illusion May released his hand but didn’t back off.

__

When Peter spared a small glance at the illusion, he wasn’t expecting her to be crying. Without her glasses, May looked so much younger and more fragile. The thought of this really being her terrified him to the point that he was convinced it wasn’t, though some rational part of his mind told him that Beck couldn’t have possibly known that story to so much detail.

__

But as Beck had said, he was good at imitating people. He had imitated Tony, Ned and MJ perfectly.

__

This was just another one of those imitations. Peter couldn’t get his hopes up again.

__

So, he turned away from Illusion May and buried his face in his knees. It was just now that he realised that he still needed to pee, but that was on the bottom of his list of worries as he waited for something to happen. May’s presence beside him was only serving to increase his paranoia.

__

“Don’t be rude, Peter.” Beck’s voice snapped out of nowhere. Peter didn’t move. “Tell me what you know, kid. You don’t want your Aunt to get hurt, do you?”

__

“I want my Dad.” Peter whispered before he really knew what he was saying. He had said it so quietly he was sure that none of the people in the room had heard him, but a laugh echoed around him, nonetheless. He didn’t even know when Beck had come back in the room, or how long he had been there for.

__

“What did you say, Underoos? You want your Dad?”

__

_Shit._

__

“Did you hear that, Mrs. Parker? He doesn’t want you; he wants Stark. Isn’t that disgusting? Your own nephew prefers that man over you. He doesn’t even believe that it’s you.” Beck’s voice was low and vile. Peter wished he didn’t have to listen, but his mind seemed to not want to focus on anything else. “Go on, Pete, say it again. Rub it in. While you’re at it, give me the information I’m asking for and your aunt won’t die because of your selfishness.”

__

“W-why can’t you just g-get it yourself?” Peter mumbled. “Y-you have the t-tech to do it. You got all the information o-on me.”

__

“It’s not that fucking easy!” Beck yelled, a loud bang echoing around the room a second after he spoke. He must’ve punched the cell bars in his anger. “You’re so smart, yet so stupid. Maybe you deserve to be an orphan.”

__

“P-please, let him go. He’s just a child.” May’s voice interrupted the man’s angry spiel.

__

“Let him go? Of course not.” Beck tutted. “Both of you will be dead before that happens.”

__

Before anyone could say anything else, Beck left the room with another slam of the door. Peter couldn’t find the energy to lift his head, so instead, he closed his eyes.

__

Somehow, despite the presence of the illusion right beside him, Peter managed to drift off into a remarkably dreamless sleep.

__

-

__

Tony arrived at the Compound as a bundle of nervous energy. He had his suit land on the helipads, ignoring the way FRIDAY was telling him he was nearing another panic attack if he didn’t get a hold of his breathing. Too much time had passed since Peter had gone missing, and now May had been added to the mix, and he couldn’t stand doing nothing anymore.

__

So, he had FRIDAY tell him where the Rogues were in the Compound and immediately headed in their direction.

__

“No one in the Avengers Compound, aside from myself and Colonel Rhodes, are aware of the Rogue Avengers presence.” FRIDAY said to him as he got out of the suit and burst into his personal floor. “They have been escorted them to the communal floor. I have transferred all documents regarding Young Peter to Mr. Rogers, Ms. Romanoff and Mr. Barton.”

__

“Tell them I’m on my way.” Tony wheezed as he deposited the bear he’d taken from the Parker’s apartment on the kitchen counter. He held it for a moment before he did, thumb running over the red paws. It continued to stare innocently up at him as if nothing was wrong in the world, it’s little stumps for arms extended like it was reaching for him.

__

He was nowhere near ready to see Steve.

__

But he had to. For Peter.

__

So, Tony dropped the bear on the counter and headed into the lift. The short descent to the communal floor made him so anxious he couldn’t stand still, and he ended up pacing around the lift over and over again until the doors opened. The small space didn’t do anything to calm his nerves, and he was grateful to get himself out.

__

Tony could already hear the voices coming from the living portion of the floor as he stepped out of the lift. He took a few moments to compose himself and make sure there weren’t any leftover tears on his face before he sauntered forwards, trying his hardest to plaster a blank expression on his face. He knew it wouldn’t be convincing at all after what he’d just found out.

__

The room fell silent when Tony entered. Four heads turned to look at him, and usually, Tony would bask in the attention. Now, he wanted anything but.

__

Rhodey had already made his way over to him looking anxious as he stopped in front of Tony. The Colonel’s eyes flickered over his face, analysing him, and Tony almost felt patronised.

__

“FRIDAY let us know what happened.” Rhodey said quietly, and just his words made Tony’s lower lip wobble for a moment. He bit down on it and held his breath to keep all the emotion at bay. “Are you sure you’re up to this? I can deal with them.”

__

“No. I have to.” Tony let out the breath he had been holding and tried to shake the nerves out.

__

With that, Rhodey stepped aside and Tony in clear view of the Rogues, who were all looking at him with sad eyes.

__

Fuck, he hated them already.

__

“Tony.” Steve breathed out, which drew Tony’s attention to him. He had to do a double take when he saw the state the super solider was in, looking completely different to the last time Tony had seen him. His hair was longer, and he even had a beard. Steve looked like a complete _mess._ “We uh… read the files and watched the videos.”

__

“Is he Spider-Man?” Natasha said bluntly. Tony knew there was no way he could hide it; he had been foolish to think he could.

__

Still, he didn’t grant her with a confirmation. “That’s not important right now. I need your help.”

__

Tony looked at her, taking in her appearance. She was now a blonde, and if he was honest, her hair looked like a wig. It didn’t look like the Nat he knew.

__

“His Aunt is missing too?” Clint asked after a beat, eyes looking at a picture of Peter. “God, he looks exactly like you.”

__

Tony wanted to tell him to shut up, but he bit his tongue. The comment made the need to break down again stronger, but he held it all back as he took himself over to the table that the three adults sat around. Rhodey followed him, clearly ready to throw a punch if any of time tried anything. Tony hated the feeling of being followed so closely, even if it was just Rhodey.

__

“Beck took my kid last Thursday and his aunt t-today.” Tony mumbled as he looked at the file Clint had been looking through. He ignored the faint stutter to his words as he continued, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room. “I’m sure you already know everything.”

__

“I remember Beck.” Natasha spoke up. “He was always envious of you, even when he was first employed. I spoke to him a few times, he always seemed to be angry. I don’t know why you kept him around for so long. How did he find out about Peter?”

__

“I don’t know.” Tony whispered and put a hand over his eyes. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Natasha was scolding him for his own kid’s disappearance. She was always good at making people feel small, and she would have succeeded if Tony hadn’t prepared himself for this exact reaction. “God, it’s been too long. He’s been gone for too long, and now his aunt…”

__

“We’re going to find them.” A hand rested on his shoulder, and he just knew it was Steve’s.

__

Tony flinched, then slapped the hand away and turned to glare at the super soldier, who had the audacity to look like a wounded puppy.

__

“Don’t fucking touch me.” Tony growled and took a few steps away from the Captain. “You’re here to help me find Peter and that’s it. As soon as I get my kid back, you’re gone. Capiche?”

__

Steve nodded. Natasha and Clint followed suit.

__

“Is he really yours?” Natasha asked after a beat of silence, Tony clenching his fists in both anger and fear. “He calls you Mr. Stark. He called you Dad once, and Beck used that to his advantage like it had never happened before. Is he your kid?”

__

“That’s none of your business.” Tony wanted to clock her across the head, though he was pretty sure she was prepared for something of the sort. She was so observant, and while that could work in his favour, he didn’t like it right now. “I wouldn’t have called you if this was urgent. Please.”

__

“We understand, Tony.” Steve replied, his tone careful, as if he just knew Tony was a second away from sending a closed fist to his face. “We’re here to help.”

__

“Good.”

__

And so, they got into work. Tony assisted where necessary, which ended up in him having to watch all the videos again. He watched as the illusion of himself beat Peter to a pulp, barely able to listen to Peter’s cries to stop. The time when Peter called him Dad.

__

They were about three hours in when FRIDAY intervened.

__

“Boss. I believe you have received a video clip from an unknown sender.”

__

“Play it.” Tony mumbled, the entire room falling silence as the video appeared on the TV.

__

Tony couldn’t stop the hitch of breath he had when he saw what was on screen. The camera was positioned in the corner of the room facing the cell, much like it had been in the first video Tony had received. He could see two bodies, one small enough to be determined as Peter.

__

He was unable to stop the tears when he realised Peter had been stripped to his boxers. His body was trembling, small whimpering sounds echoing around the room as he did so. His back was covered with bruises, bruises that looked so painful it made Tony’s muscles ache.

__

Peter looked _beaten_. More than he had the last time Tony saw him.

__

That was when he focussed on the other body.

__

It had to be May. It couldn’t be anyone else.

__

What drove him insane was that _she wasn’t moving._ She lay on her back, hair covering her face so Tony couldn’t see if she was awake or not. He wanted to scream, he wanted to reach through the screen and shake her by the shoulders. From here, he couldn’t even see if she was breathing.

__

Tony’s breath hitched when he really looked at May. Through the grainy footage, the faint red colour of blood spread across her chest.

__

_She couldn’t be._

__

This had to be another illusion of Beck’s.

__

In the corner of his eye, he could see Natasha writing things down as she watched. Tony really was hopeless, just sitting here watching, completely at a loss of what to do. What kind of father was he that he needed help from the Rogue Avengers of all people? What kind of father leaves it to other people to do the work for him?

__

_Howard._ Howard would do something like this.

__

But Tony had tried. That was more than Howard could ever do.

__

“Peter, honey.” A new voice whispered as a woman appeared on screen. Tony couldn’t see her face, but he knew it was one of the women he’d identified a week ago. She let herself into the cell and knelt down beside Peter’s body, hand reaching out to rub his back. The sound the kid let out was brutal, and it cut right into Tony’s heart. “I know this is hard, I didn’t want this to happen. But you just wouldn’t give us the information, and Beck had to do what he had to do.”

__

“L-let me out.” Peter’s weak and broken voice barely made it to the camera’s microphone. “T-this i-isn’t real.”

__

“I’m sorry you still believe that.” The woman replied and handed him something. “It’s just water.”

__

“I d-don’t want it.” Peter cried and seemed to curl up even tighter. “I w-want to go home.”

__

“I know you do.” The woman stood, leaving what seemed to be a cup of water just beside Peter. “I’m sorry, but we can’t let that happen, honey.”

__

A tear slipped down Tony’s cheek as he watched her leave. Peter continued to tremble, never rolling over to reveal his face. May’s body never moved.

__

The video ended.

__

He could feel eyes watching him as he wiped his eyes free of tears. For the moment, he forced them to stop, and ignored the overwhelming emotion threatening to bubble up his throat as he looked to Natasha. She looked deep in thought, and Tony couldn’t even think of anything to say.

__

Tony didn’t know what to think anymore.

__

He didn’t know what to _do._

__

He thought of the bear, and then Peter. Peter’s happy, smiling face, one he hadn’t seen in so long. One he might never see again if he didn’t get his shit together and fully focus on searching for him.

__

Which, he had been. He hadn’t stopped since Peter disappeared.

__

And he definitely wouldn’t be stopping now.

__

Peter and May were counting on _him._

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oohhhh suspense and angst my fav
> 
> thanks for reading!!


	11. Paralysed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh sorry i took longer than usual!! i've been struggling a bit with writer's block for future chapters, but i'm trying 
> 
> **WARNINGS!**  
>  this chapter gets pretty violent - some descriptions are kind of gory. it was hard for me to write ahhh,, pay attention to the tags and the new warning i've added as well!
> 
> but other than that, i hope you guys enjoy! i'm pretty happy with how this story is going so far :)

“Peter, honey, please look at me.” Illusion May pleaded for the fifth time in a row, Peter trying his hardest not to turn around and look at her. In the last few minutes, her voice had become more and more pleading, more desperate. It sounded far too real. “I promise I’m r-real, baby.”

May began to cough so violently it made Peter finally turn around. Scarlet red liquid dripped from her mouth; Peter hardly able to look at her as she held her hand on her chest for a moment. When she looked at him, a smile passed across her face.

“S-sweetheart, its me.” She opened her arms, as if she were offering a hug. God did Peter want it. He wanted this to be real. “I promise.”

“This isn’t real.” Peter whimpered and rolled onto his side, so he was fully facing the illusion. He hugged his knees to his chest, trying to ignore how much his muscles ached. It had only worsened in the few minutes, or hours, since Beck had left them alone. May dropped her arms, tears already welling up in her eyes. “P-please stop.”

Illusion May shuffled over to him, Peter unable to move. She rested a hand on his shoulder and then caressed his cheek, much like Victoria and Beck always seemed to do. He flinched from the touch, but she didn’t let go. Instead, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to Peter’s grimy forehead.

“I love you.”

_Not real, not real, not real. ___

____

When he didn’t answer, May let out a small puff of air and began to rub his shoulder. The touch was soothing, more soothing than Victoria’s touches ever were, so _May_. Peter closed his eyes and basked in the comfort, letting himself believe that this was really his Aunt May.

____

He imagined that he was at home, in the apartment after Flash made his life hell, crying into his pillow as May sat by him and comforted him. This situation wasn’t that different, except he’d been beaten and tortured by a grown man who withheld impeccable and convincing technology, which was far more detrimental than being called ugly by your classmate.

____

Like he did most of the time since he was taken here, he cried. He cried into the illusion’s thigh, unable to stop himself from reaching up to latch onto May’s clothing. It even smelled like her. His mind was making up things at this point, he knew it. That was the only explanation for why she smelled so much like the real May.

____

“I’ve got you.” May whispered and pressed another kiss to his head. “I’m r-right here.”

____

“I want T-Tony.” Peter cried, then whimpered when his broken nose rubbed against May’s leg. “P-please, let m-me out.”

____

“Tony’s coming. I promise.”

____

Peter shook his head. _No, he wasn’t._

____

He wasn’t sure how long he cried for, but he was startled out of his emotional state by the sudden sound of the cell opening. Before he could comprehend what was happening, the illusion was ripped away from him and someone grabbed him under the armpits and yanked him to his feet. In the flurry of movement, Peter felt his lap beginning to feel warm, the sound of liquid hitting the floor managing to make it to his ears.

____

“Again?” The man Peter still didn’t know the name of sneered and practically dropped him. Peter’s knees buckled, and he had no choice but to let his body crumble into the puddle he’d created and was still creating on the floor. It ran down his legs, the feeling incredibly uncomfortable but was overpowered by the pain in the rest of his body. “Jesus Christ.”

____

“’M sorry.” Peter whimpered. He wasn’t sure why he was apologising, but he felt obliged to. “Didn’t mean t-to.”

____

“Yeah, whatever.” After a few moments, when the stream had stopped, Peter was yanked back onto his feet. Peter went boneless, blurred eyes surveying the room that spotted May in the opposite corner of the cell.

____

She was crying with a hand over her mouth, Peter only left to stare as he was manhandled. A second later, there was the sharp prick of a needle being inserted into his neck.

____

Peter _screamed._ He thrashed as the needle’s contents were injected into him, his stomach beginning to churn at the feeling of the needle moving inside him. When it was pulled out, Peter tried to fight, but it felt like his limbs were submerged in water.

____

“Stop it!” May’s voice screamed over him. “Get off of him! He’s just a kid!”

____

“Vic, get in here! Bring the kid some underwear!”

____

“Let me g-go.” Peter whimpered as his head lolled around at unnatural angles. He watched Victoria enter the room a few seconds later, underwear in her hands. Peter couldn’t help but think that they had been expecting something like this to happen. “P-please.”

____

“Stop being so _pathetic._ ” The man spat. “Help me, would you?”

____

Victoria must have nodded, because within seconds someone was pulling his pants down.

____

Peter tried to struggle, but his vision was swimming and his limbs were unresponsive. “N-no, s-stop it. D-don’t!”

____

He was ignored, his pants pulled off his feet and discarded on the floor. Without as much as a second to process, his boxers were also yanked down to his ankles and then pulled off in the same violent fashion as his pants. Peter tried to struggle, he tried to get away, but all that resulted in was the man’s hands gripping him tighter and more unresponsive limbs.

____

“You better quit this.” The man growled and let go of him, only for Victoria to yank Peter’s shirt over his head. He had no choice but to let the man lift his arms over his head to get the garment off, unable to stop the panic now that he was stood here _completely naked_ and covered in _piss_. “You don’t want to tick off Beck, kid. Not again.”

____

“’M not telling you anythin’.” Peter cried and tried to push the man away. His arms didn’t even move. “Wha’ did you do ‘o me.”

____

“Just something to keep you down for a little bit. Don’t worry, it only lasts four hours or so. Maybe longer.”

____

_Just_ four hours?

____

Peter just stood there as Victoria lifted his legs one by one, then pulled the boxers up and around his waist with a snap.

____

“You should have told him about Stark.” The man sighed and shook his head a few times. “Now your aunt is going to pay for it. If you were just honest with us, we would have never had to take her. I thought we should take a more violent approach, but Quentin and Vic thought different.”

____

“N-no.” Peter whispered and tried to move. His muscles didn’t co-operate. “Let me ‘o.”

____

“Gutes.” Victoria muttered, just loud enough for Peter to hear. “Remember what Beck said.”

____

“Yep.” Within seconds, Peter was being shoved back onto the ground. He crumbled like a sack of potatoes, hardly even able to feel the pain in his limbs anymore as Gutes and Victoria manipulated them. Within seconds, he was handcuffed to the cell bars, Peter having no idea as to where they had gotten the handcuffs from. He was also sitting in his own pee, which deemed the new underwear absolutely useless. “Tell Beck we’re ready.”

____

Victoria disappeared from sight, leaving Peter and Gutes alone with illusion May.

____

Peter looked across the room. May sat there, also handcuffed. He had no recollection of that happening. He just looked at her, tears rapidly falling down his cheeks as he awaited what pain would come next. It wasn’t long before Victoria returned, though she wasn’t alone.

____

Beck followed her into the room, that cruel smirk back on his face. He knelt down in front of the teen and tilted his head to the side.

____

“Here’s how this is going to work, Pete.” He began, Peter’s eyes landing on the device attached to his wrist. It looked complex and advanced, and Peter had seen him using it before. It had to be the device he used to control the illusions. “You’re going to tell me everything you know about Stark and the Avengers. If you don’t, you’re not going to like what I’m going to do to your aunt over there.”

____

Peter couldn’t stop the frantic cry that bubbled up his throat as he looked over Beck’s shoulders to May. May looked more panic stricken than before, and he was beginning to wonder she was real. If this was real, that meant she was really hurt, that her life was really at stake if Peter didn’t talk.

____

Peter closed his eyes. She wasn’t real. None of this was.

____

“Stark’s not coming for you. He doesn’t want to save you, kid. The selfish prick only cares about his tech. Don’t you wonder sometimes why the Avengers broke up? It was his own selfish motives that caused their downfall.” Beck continued and cupped Peter’s shoulder with his hand. Peter could hardly feel it. “Your Daddy can’t save your aunt now. He did a pretty poor job at keeping her safe. So, tell me. How do I break into the tower?”

____

Peter reopened his eyes and looked at Beck dead in the eye. “F-fuck you.”

____

“Wow.” Beck sniggered and stood. “Even when you’re pissing yourself and crying like a baby, you have some fire in you. Maybe this will get you talking.”

____

The room fell into darkness. Peter sat alone, the only thing reminding him that he was in his cell being that he was still chained to the bars. May, Beck, Gutes and Victoria had all disappeared, leaving him alone in the darkness around him. Immediately, his anxiety kicked into gear and the real panic began to surge up his chest.

____

Moments later, the cracking sound of concrete made its way into his ears. Peter looked up on instinct, and when he realised what he was seeing, panic gripped his heart in a chokehold. Sobs began to bubble up his throat as he shook his head and tried to move, though the drug he’d been injected with subdued any movement. It didn’t even feel like he was trying. The only thing he could move was his neck.

____

Above him, the roof cracked and rumbled. The small, sane part of his mind left told him that it wasn’t real, that Beck was playing with his head to get answers out of him, but he couldn’t stop the fear. Instead of being stuck in an illusion, he was thrown back to Homecoming night when Toomes crashed that warehouse on top of him.

____

He watched the spider-web like cracks appear in the roof, a scream already trying to force its way out of his throat. When the first chunk fell, he let it out, and even he was surprised by how animalistic it sounded. The concrete surged towards him as he cried out, his breath eventually catching in his chest in that familiar feel of sheer, and utter, _panic._

____

Peter closed his eyes and tried to ignore the crumbling noise around him. The panic attack came on quick, so fast that he couldn’t catch his breath if he tried. His own cries for help from that night echoed around him as he tried to soothe himself, as he tried to remind himself that this wasn’t real. That this was _Beck’s_ doing.

____

Though, instead of Beck, Toomes’ face appeared in front of him. That sadistic smirk so similar to Beck’s as his Vulture armor tore down the warehouse around him, large chunks slamming onto the ground all around him. None of them hit him.

____

It felt like hours before the sounds stopped. He wheezed and gasped, his chest hurting as he tried to come out of the panic attack he’d fallen into.

____

“Tell me, Peter. Where are Stark’s blueprints?”

____

Even if Peter wanted to answer, he _couldn’t._

____

When he opened his eyes, _Tony_ was staring at him. His face was covered in blood, a large slit in his neck. Peter immediately choked on his breath and promptly vomited all over himself, mostly from the panic attack and the gory sight in front of him. There wasn’t much, it was mostly water and whatever was left in him from the last meal. Peter wasn’t so sure he’d vomited more in his life than he had in his time with Beck.

____

Illusion Tony loomed over him with a sick smile. “Tell me, Underoos. Where are my blueprints? I can’t remember where I left them, you must know. Care to help your old man out?”

____

Peter shook his head and choked on another cry. Black dots were beginning to dance over his vision, the acidic smell of his vomit rising around him as Tony’s bloody face stared right at him. Peter couldn’t look at the slit in his neck. It looked too real.

____

Illusion Tony sighed, then straightened up. A second later, blue light revealed Beck and two drones hovering beside him.

____

“It’s not real, Peter!” Illusion May yelled from the other side of the room, Peter once again finding her eyes. He looked at her, really looked at her, trying to believe that it was really her, that she was _genuinely_ trying to comfort him. “Baby, it’s not real!”

____

“You’re making this so much harder for everyone around you.” Beck paced back and forth, already typing away at the device on his wrist. “If you tell me, you can go home.”

____

_No, he wouldn’t._

____

“Why are you still protecting him?” Beck asked, still pacing. Peter somehow managed to get a hold of his breathing as he focussed on May, who was miming large breaths for him to copy. Peter shut his eyes for a moment and heaved in a deep breath, though the panic never subsided like it usually would if this was a normal panic attack. “That man doesn’t want anything to do with you. If he did, he would have come to save you by now. If he really cared about you, he would have handed that company over to me by now.”

____

No, he wouldn’t. Tony would never do that; he’d find another way. Peter would never expect Tony to give away _himself_ and his whole fucking company for some stupid child. Just thinking about Tony made the want for his father figure grow, and all he wanted was for the real Tony to swoop through the door and save him.

____

Tony had to be looking for him, _he had to._

____

Unless Beck was right.

____

_No._

____

If there was one thing he was going to hold onto, it would be Tony. Peter trusted the man; he knew Tony would never stop looking for him.

____

“That’s what Stark does, Petey. He manipulates.” Beck smiled and knelt back down again. “I’ve been on this Earth a lot longer than you. I’ve seen sides to him you never have. You’re nothing to him. And that’s why you’re going to tell me how to get his tower, his blueprints, everything.”

____

“Don’t listen to h-”

____

“SHUT UP!” Beck screamed and spit sprayed all over Peter’s face as he did so. Peter watched as a vein popped out of Beck’s forehead, face reddening with pure fury. In the whole time he’d been here, he’d never seen Beck look so furious before. It terrified him. “I am this close to shooting your aunt right here.”

____

“S-she’s not r-real.” Peter wheezed, clinging onto the denial, because she wasn’t fucking real.

____

“Y’know, I won’t hold this against you because that’s my fault.” Beck’s face began to go back to his normal colour as he calmed down, though that psychotic edge was still present in his eyes. As Peter locked eyes with his kidnapper yet again, he realised for the first time how mentally unstable Beck was. He looked… he looked _maddened_ by revenge. By rage and malice. “Just fucking tell me and this will all be over. You and your aunt will live.”

____

“N-no we w-won’t!” Peter cried and tried to move his face away when Beck reached for him. It didn’t work, because Beck’s hands clamped around his sore cheeks within seconds.

____

“Tell me!” Beck screamed in his face, shaking him. Peter sobbed and shook his head, barely able to hear May’s frantic screams from across the cell. “You know what? You’re exactly like Stark. No wonder you look up to that bastard. He’s turned you into a fucking mini-me, do you realise that? That’s _disgusting_. You should be ashamed of yourself, you piece of shit.”

____

Beck released his face with a violent shove then stood up.

____

“I’ve given you many chances, Peter. Maybe too many chances. I do realise you’re just a kid, and you’re a good kid. Honestly. But Stark… he’s left an imprint on you. Even in the face of death you would protect that man.” Beck mumbled, eyes twitching. Peter stared up at him, terrified. Beck rubbed a shaking hand over his face and continued. “You’ve run out of chances, kid. I fucking _warned_ you, but you’re too stupid to realise what is at stake. This is _your fault_.”

____

Peter’s eyes widened even more when Beck yanked a knife from his waistband. He stormed over to May, who continued to look at Peter with terrified eyes. Panic began to return as he watched Beck yank her off of the floor, knife raised.

____

“Tell me, kid.” Beck sneered, May’s broken cries beginning to make its way to Peter’s ears.

____

_Not real, not real, not real._

____

“I l-love you, P-Peter.” May cried, voice choked. “T-this isn’t your f-fault. D-don’t blame yourself. It’s o-okay, sweetheart.”

____

“N-no!” Peter cried, never looking away from May.

____

It looked too real.

____

_But it wasn’t._

____

Still, he continued to cry out desperate pleas.

____

“D-don’t, Beck, ple-ase!”

____

“Last chance.” Beck muttered and eyed Peter threateningly. Victoria and Gutes stood in the room like nothing were wrong, faces blank, as psychotic as Beck was. This was when Peter realised that he was truly alone, with no one in his corner. No one here would protect him. “C’mon, Peter. Just _tell_ me, and this will all be over.”

____

“D-don’t tell him.” May gasped, then coughed. Peter’s eyes latched onto the arm that was wrapped around May’s neck, which made Peter realise with a start that Beck was chokingher as they spoke. “T-Tony’s com-ing.”

____

“M-May.” Peter whimpered.

____

“It’s okay.” May whispered back and smiled. Her smile was bloody, and Peter knew he would never be able to erase that image from his head. It was too real. “It’s a-alright, hon-ey.”

____

May coughed again, some blood dripping from her lips.

____

“Peter.” Beck _giggled_. “Are you going to tell me?”

____

Peter considered it. At the very last second, he clamped his mouth shut and watched, not wanting to believe that any of this was real. Maybe he was just dreaming. Maybe this was all one sick nightmare, and he’d wake up at home in the apartment or in his new room in the tower.

____

This wasn’t real. Everything Beck had showed him so far had been fake. There was no reason for this to be real.

____

Not real, not fucking real.

____

“This isn’ r-real.”

____

“I see how it is.” Beck raised the knife, and Peter’s breath hitched.

____

The next few moments Peter would never be able to un-see.

____

He wailed when the knife made home in his aunt’s chest. Peter squeezed his eyes shut in terror, not wanting to watch as he heard her beginning to choke, the sound of her body hitting the ground echoing around the room moments later. He cried the loudest and hardest he ever had, desperately hoping to open his eyes and see that nothing had happened, and that it had been fake all along, like everything else he had been tortured with.

____

All he could hear was his own, broken sobs and May’s choked attempts to breath.

____

Peter was thrown back into the memory of watching his Uncle Ben die. He hadn’t done anything then, but he could have done something. And now, sitting here chained to a cell with numb, drugged limbs, all he could do was scream and cry and wish that none of this was real. Hope that none of this was real, and it was all one of Beck’s illusions to get him to talk.

____

Peter opened his eyes a long time after the room fell silent. His chest became impossibly tighter as his eyes found May.

____

She lay on her back, eyes unseeing as she stared up at the roof, knife protruding out of her chest. Beck stood above her, almost looking guilty, which enraged Peter. However, the only way he could project his anger was through his violent sobs and screams that abused his throat and vocal cords.

____

“I didn’t think I’d actually have to do that.” Beck sighed and bent over. Peter barely got to look away when he grabbed onto the knife and yanked it out of May’s chest. She didn’t move, she didn’t even flinch. The only movement that her body made was from Beck taking the knife out of her chest. “Well, Peter.”

____

Beck stalked over to him, and before Peter knew it, he was being punched across the face. He had no time to recover before he was punched again, and again, and again.

____

When it finally ended, Peter was finally uncuffed. Beck left him with two hard kicks in the back, Peter barely able to roll over and face the cell bars instead of May’s body. He was surprised he even could move. Maybe the drug was letting up early, or it had already been four hours.

____

He had no idea anymore.

____

When he was left alone, all he could do was cry, and cry, and cry.

____

_Not real, not real, not real._

____

He was pretty sure his nose was broken.

____

Peter didn’t even hear Victoria return until she spoke.

____

“Peter, honey.” She had whispered, a hand coming to rub his back. Peter wasn’t able to hold back the brutal sob as he flinched away from her. “I know this is hard, I didn’t want this to happen. But you just wouldn’t give us the information, and Beck had to do what he had to do.”

____

“L-let me out.” Peter choked out, helpless. “T-this i-isn’t real.”

____

“I’m sorry you still believe that.” Peter wasn’t so sure if he believed it anymore. It was too hard to differentiate between what was real and what wasn’t. Now, everything just seemed tooreal. Victoria raised a glass over his head, but Peter ignored it. “It’s just water.”

____

“I d-don’t want it.” He sobbed and tried to curl up. “I w-want to go home.”

____

“I know you do.” Victoria placed the cup of water somewhere behind him before she stood. “I’m sorry, but we can’t let that happen, honey.”

____

She left the room soon after. Peter closed his eyes and tried to erase the image of May’s body out of his mind. He was exhausted from all the crying and emotional stress, but there was no way he was going to be able to sleep. Not after what he had just seen.

____

But he was so, so tired.

____

“May?” Peter whimpered, unsure why he was calling out for her. “M-May?”

____

When he got no reply, he inhaled sharp enough to make his back ache.

____

“This i-isn’t real.” Peter whispered to himself and shut his eyes again. “Not real.”

____

He wasn’t sure when it happened, but somehow, he fell asleep. Maybe he had fallen unconscious, he didn’t really know, but the next time he came to, he was in the same spot curled up on the floor of his cell. He just laid there for a while, staring straight ahead, wondering if the last few hours had all been some sick dream.

____

After a while, he tested his muscles. he was able to move again, but it hurt.

____

Slowly, Peter rolled over, only to knock over the glass of water Victoria had left for him. He didn’t pay any attention to it as he tried to sit up, gaze carefully avoiding the right side of the cell. He looked down at himself, vomit still covering his bare chest. He was also still sitting in his own urine.

____

Peter wiped his face, a small whimper leaving his mouth when he knocked his nose.

____

A few seconds later, he mustered up the courage to look over at where May’s body had been.

____

She was gone.

____

All that remained was red.

____

It couldn’t have been real.

____

“May?” Peter called out, feeling awfully similar to a small child. He looked around the room a second time, his eyes always going back to the puddle of scarlet red blood. “M-May?”

____

Images of Beck stabbing his aunt flowed through his mind as he sat there, chest already beginning to close in. It wasn’t long before he was having a panic attack right there, unable to even use May’s breathing techniques. It was even worse than the first panic attack he’d had on the first day here. That had been before he saw her die.

____

But that hadn’t been real, right? If the body wasn’t there anymore, that meant it had been all an illusion, right? And they’d ended it because he failed to give them what they wanted?

____

The sound of her choking on her own blood made itself present at this exact time. Peter pushed himself into the corner and brought his knees to his chest, feeling cold and exposed in the underwear he’d been changed into. His entire body trembled with quiet and breathless sobs, wanting nothing more than to be anywhere other than here.

____

He was beginning to think that hewas the one losing his mind.

____

The next period of time passed slowly. After panicking to the point of unconsciousness, he awoke a second time with another one of those pounding headaches. He gathered himself to the best of his ability and tried his hardest not to let himself break when he looked over to the other side of his cell. The concrete was still caked in red liquid, though it was darker now. More time must have passed than he originally thought.

____

He sat in the same spot for hours upon hours, eyes locked on that red spot of concrete. Peter waited for Beck to come, but he never did. He didn’t know how much time had passed, and he never would. Peter was sure he wasn’t going to make it out of here alive if he didn’t tell Beck everything he wanted to know.

____

But that was okay. As long as he people he loved was safe.

____

His gut churned at the thought of the people he loved. Of May…

____

“Hello, kid.” Beck imposed some time later. “How’re you holding up?”

____

“W-where’s May?” Peter muttered and eyed Beck from where he stood on the other side of the bars. “What did you d-do to her?”

____

“She’s in a safe place now. Away from you. No one’s going to find her.” Beck sneered and leant against the bars. “You don’t really still think that whole thing was an illusion, right? Fuck. I would feel bad, but you brought this upon yourself, kid. Never associate yourself with people as high up as Stark is. It only gets you or your loved ones killed, as you just found out.”

____

“I want Mr. Stark.” Peter whispered for the first time without a stupid stutter.

____

“You’ll have him if you tell me everything I want to know.”

____

“No.”

____

“Well, keep crying for your Daddy then.” Beck’s voice was so vicious it made Peter want to hide. “That won’t get you anywhere, kid. I thought you would have learned by now, but no, you’re still crying out for the aunt you got killed.”

____

“She’s not d-dead.” Peter whispered, eyes once again moving over to the right side of the cell. “It wasn’t r-real.”

____

“Keep telling yourself that.” Beck shook his head in disappointment. “Remember, her death was your fault. See you later, Underoos.”

____

With that, Beck was gone, and Peter was left alone.

____

He closed his eyes.

____

He hoped he never woke up again.

____

If only Peter knew what the next five days had in store for him.

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm so sorry... i had a sudden idea to kill off may one day and once i thought of it i had so many other ideas to stem from it, so... im sorry!!! poor peter
> 
> please leave some feedback :)
> 
> thank you for reading as always <3


	12. I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **please read!!**
> 
> alright first things first:  
> i am so sorry for taking so long to update!! i've been really busy with school and covid has been stressing me out to no end, so i haven't really made any progress on this fic among others, so i'm sorry for that! 
> 
> this chapter is almost 10k words long because it's a pretty special one, so i really hope you guys like it and don't hate me too much for taking so long to update... i have a bad track record with finishing fics ehh
> 
> i'm not really sure when the next chap will be up but i'll try my best not to have such a big gap in between! 
> 
> anyways, i really hope you enjoy, i'm finally happy with how this chapter came out <333

A week.

Five fucking days and _nothing._

Peter had been gone for almost over two weeks, and Tony was going insane.

He was on the brink of insanity as he sat at his desk, Natasha by his side, flicking through Peter’s files for the umpteenth time. Clint was on his other side, critically analysing the last few videos Tony had received over and over and _over._

Steve, well, Stevehad been down in the gym breaking punching bags, being useless. Tony wanted to be angry because the super soldier was doing jack shit to help his kid, but if he was honest, there was nothing for him, or Tony, or the two assassins to do. There was _nothing_ to go off of, and it was driving Tony mad.

For a week, Tony had received nothing. No videos, no messages, no fake coordinates. It was radio silence from Beck’s end, and the many possibilities that had been running through his mind for days on end were beginning to drive him to the edge. Various images of finding Peter dead, or finding May dead, or finding both of them dead played through his head on a vicious, repetitive cycle twenty-four hours a day.

Every time he slept, he dreamt about the worst-case scenarios mixed with all his usual nightmares. When he was awake, all he could do was try not to scream at anyone who told him to _calm down or he was going to have an anxiety attack_. It was behind closed doors, away from the Rogues, when he reallylet his wall crumble. The attachment he felt for this kid ran so deep it was abusing him from the inside, the needto wrap Peter up in his arms and tell him everything was going to be alright was so strong he couldn’t breathe.

Tony was pretty sure he’d never cared so deeply for another person in his life. Not even Pepper. Hearing Peter call him Dad settled everything in stone. Tony had thought of this teen as his kid for longer than ever imagined, he just didn’t know it. Now, he was paying the price for that.

When Tony got Peter back, that kid was nevergoing out of arms reach again.

As much as he hated it, he wished Beck sent him another video. That meant Peter was still breathing, that meant Peter was still alive, and that he still had time.

Tony didn’t sleep. He hardly ate, he didn’t do anything else but look for Peter and May. He and FRIDAY had finished the development of the teach to identify Beck’s illusions days ago, and now it was only a matter of whenhe would need to use it. There would be a when, because Tony was going to find and save Peter and his aunt from that psychopath.

The small, white bear stared at him from his desk. Tony had brought it down a few days ago, the thing’s eyes always boring into his soul, a constant reminder that Peter was still out there and depending on him. The stupid thing with its stumpy arms was so _Peter_ it made Tony want to burst.

“You need to eat something, Tony.” Rhodey said from somewhere in the room, though Tony barely even heard him. “When was the last time you slept?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Tony grumbled and tried not to look at the smiling picture of Peter on the file in Natasha’s hand.

“FRIDAY?”

“Sir has been awake for over seventy-two hours, Colonel Rhodes. He sustained approximately three and a half hours of sleep. He hasn’t eaten for around fifteen hours. The last thing sir ate was a packet of soft crackers. I believe sir is depending solely on coffee right now.”

“Tony.” Rhodey scolded, but it sounded more sad than angry. “You need to eat and rest.”

“I don’t need to do anything.” Tony flicked through a few holograms, desperate to find a location, even though he knew there wasn’t any. “Leave me alone, platypus. Fri, show me if the police have found anything.”

“Of course, sir.” Various files on Peter and May appeared in front of him. Their files were quite empty, since the police barely knew anything. Tony would have told them if he had even a thought that they could do more than him.

Which, they couldn’t.

“Though, I believe there are no new updates since the last time you checked five minutes ago.”

“Right.” Tony sighed and rubbed his aching eyes. It felt like five hours since he’d last asked.

“Come on, Tony. You’re eating something then going to sleep. These two can keep going.”

Tony shook his head. “Nope.”

“Get up.” Rhodey stood over him, arms crossed. Still, he didn’t look angry. Just sad. “You’re killing yourself.”

“You don’t understand!” Tony almost screamed and pushed his chair away from the desk and stood.

“What?” Rhodey asked as he watched Tony rise. Tony didn’t really know why he was so angry all of a sudden, but he knew Rhodey was right, and he was beginning to fill stir crazy from being stuck down in the Compound’s labs all day and night.

“That kid…” Tony trailed, then reached over the desk to pluck the bear off of it. “He’s counting on me.”

Tony squeezed the bear a little, thumbs running over the fur. He needed to give this thing back to Peter. It was his.

“I know that.” Rhodey came forward and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “You’re doing everything you can.”

“It’s not enough.” Tony mumbled as he let Rhodey steer him from the lab. “He could be dead by now, God, May could be dead by now. They could both be dead and I’m here holding this stupid fucking bear!”

He couldn’t do the lift. Rhodey seemed to notice his hesitance, and instead, they took the stairs.

“You’re going to give that back to him.” Rhodey mumbled as they stumbled up the stairs. Well, Tony stumbled up the stairs. He felt drunk, only he knew he was one hundred percent sober. However, he was reaching the point where his years of sobriety were worth nothing without Peter here. “Don’t work yourself up.”

“Don’t patronise me.”

“I’m not.”

As they spoke, they had finally reached the penthouse. Tony was led into one of the guest rooms and forced to lie down on the bed, Peter’s bear still firmly clamped in his hand. Rhodey ambled around him, basically treating him as a child as he manhandled Tony’s limbs to be covered by the bedsheets. He even took off his shoes.

It reminded him of all those nights when Rhodey would drag him back to their dorm after Tony had one too many at some party. Most of those nights were filled with either Tony being too drunk to walk on his own, getting in a fistfight with some jock asshole, having sex or hacking up his entire stomach in someone’s front yard.

Those days felt centuries ago. Now, he was purely drunk off of fear.

A teenager had called him Dad. Peter thought of him as his father.

The Tony from all those years ago would have never even thought of becoming a parent, he never even liked kids. Hell, the Tony from a few years ago never thought he’d have kids or be able to stand their hyperactivity and constant chatter.

But then, of course, Harley had been in that little shed in the backyard that had Tony broken into. That had been the first thought that hey, maybe kids weren’t so bad. Then came the Spider-Kid, the kid he’d dragged into _his_ fight with the fucking _Avengers._

Parenthood was something Tony never associated with himself. Even when he was with Pepper, parenthood was a taboo subject between them, mostly from his side because of Howard. That was before an energetic, nerdy and unbelievably innocent teenager wormed his way into Tony’s life and set all his beliefs off their axis.

“Do you think I’d be a good father?” Tony mumbled through all his thoughts as he stared up at his best friend. Rhodey didn’t show any sign of surprise as he looked at Tony, then nodded surely and seriously. “I’m not, though. Pete’s gone because of me.”

“Stop it.” Rhodey shook his head. Tony hated the way the man was looking at him. It made himfeel like the child. “You didn’t do this to him.”

Tony just sighed and rolled over so his back faced Rhodey, mostly so his friend couldn’t see his face and the tears that had welled up in his eyes.

After a few minutes, Tony heard the door close. He let out a deep breath and closed his eyes, barely attempting to keep his heart rate and breathing steady. Now that he was laying here, he couldn’t help but feel how exhausted his body really felt. His stomach rumbled a little, though he ignored it and pressed his face into the pillow.

Shortly, Tony felt himself drift off, straight into the clutches of his nightmares.

-

Tony awoke in fit of raw panic at the sound of FRIDAY’s voice.

“Boss.”

He practically shot out of his bed with fright, the aftershocks of the nightmare swimming in his vision as he scrambled into a standing position. Within seconds, Tony’s knees buckled, and he barely caught a hold of the dresser in time to steady himself.

“What?” He heaved, sweat all over his body. “W-what’s going on?”

“I am very sorry to have startled you, Sir, though I believe you were already minutes away from waking up.” FRIDAY began, sounding panicked. This just made Tony feel even more scared for what she was about to say. “Your presence is requested in the lab, sir. I suggest you get down there quickly.”

“What?” Tony snapped, wondering if he was still dreaming or not. If this was his mind playing more tricks on him. “What’s wrong?”

“Quentin Beck is currently livestreaming globally. A traceable location has been identified.”

Those words got Tony the move. As he ran through his floor, he continued to talk to FRIDAY.

“Am I still dreaming? This is real?”

“No. You are conscious. Yes, this is real.”

Tony took the stairs yet again, almost falling multiple times in his haste to get to the lab as quickly as he could. He was there within minutes, everyone’s eyes turning to him as he scrambled into the room.

“What’s happening?” Tony demanded, then promptly tripped over his own foot. Steve caught him in the nick of time, but Tony shoved the super soldier off of him before the man could even say a word.

The room fell silent. Tony looked to a hologram, where Beck’s smiling face could be seen. On other holograms, there were displays of the same video footage plastered on big buildings in cities such as New York. Dread and hatred filled his stomach as he listened to what the man was saying.

_“Not many of you would be aware of this, but two weeks ago, a teenager named Peter Parker was determined as a missing person.”_

Tony couldn’t breathe, his stomach filled with dread.

“What the fuck is this?” He snapped, then looked between the footage and Natasha, who had a boiling cup of coffee abandoned by her side.

“He hasn’t said much yet. We have a location; FRIDAY is tracking it right now.” Natasha replied offhandedly as she stared intently at the footage.

Tony’s attention was immediately brought back to Beck when the man began to speak.

 _“Peter Parker is a mutant.”_ No. _“Peter Parker is Spider-Man. I wish I didn’t have to do this, but his compliance has failed me.”_

_No, no, no._

_“If you don’t believe me,”_ Beck continued, then smiled into the camera. _“I have proof.”_

A video clip appeared over Beck’s face. It was one of Peter, easily recognisable, getting changed in one of those dirty alleyways. Tony couldn’t believe what he was seeing as he watched Peter pressed the spider emblem in the middle of his chest, then sling out of frame. Then, a smiling picture of Peter replaced the video.

“Oh my God.” Tony wheezed as he pushed away from his desk. “This can’t be happening. FRIDAY?”

“People have taken to social media immediately.” FRIDAY rattled off to him. “Trending topics are keywords Spider-Man and Peter Parker. I believe these trends are global.”

“What’s the location?” Tony growled as he tried desperately not to let the panic take over. His kid had just been exposed to the whole world. Peter just had his identity torn away from him in front of his eyes, and Tony hadn’t been able to do anything to prevent it. “Nat?”

“It’s an old HYDRA facility a few hours out. It was abandoned years ago. Clint and I compared the footage with images of the facility. It’s a direct match.”

Tony stared at her for a long time. A fucking HYDRA facility?

The thought of Beck having any ties with HYDRA was terrifying.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.” Natasha replied, her expression never faltering. “I’ve been there before, it’s an exact match to what I remember. I don’t think Beck knows he’s given us his location, which is why we’ll have to move quickly. If he knows we know, he could get Peter out of there before we even take off. We have to be quick.”

Tony looked to the holograms still on display as he listened to Natasha speak. Beck’s livestream had ended, and FRIDAY was currently displaying the thousands of comments, tweets and posts about Peter. There were so many. Too many.

This was his fault.

However, this was the most he’d gotten since Peter went missing. This was the closest thing to a real location they had gotten, so he had to check it out no matter what consequence it could have. This could very well be another fake location that Beck could use to torture him, but this was the best chance he had since then.

“How do we know this is real?” Tony mumbled; eyes locked on the screen. “This could be another-”

“It can’t be.” Rhodey spoke up. “Beck also sent you a picture.”

“What?” Tony snapped, and immediately yanked his phone from where it rested next to Natasha’s elbow.

Obviously, Tony must have left his phone down here before Rhodey forced him to go to sleep. With a glance at the time, he was surprised to see that he had been asleep for almost six hours. It felt like much longer.

When he saw the picture, Tony couldn’t stop the way his face scrunched up.

Peter stared into the camera, eyes large and doe-eyed, much like the last picture he’d received from Beck. There were obvious tear tracks on his cheeks, the teen chained to a chair, face covered in blood. The difference between this picture and the one he’d gotten a week ago, was that Peter looked more broken. There was no message attached.

Fuck, the whole world would soon know exactly who Peter was. More targets would be painted on his back.

“We have to go.” Tony mumbled and wiped his face in one frantic motion.

“The Quinjet is already prepared.” Steve spoke up from behind him, Natasha and Clint already nodding along.

Tony didn’t respond. He just looked around the lab for a moment before he took off towards the stairs, ignoring Rhodey’s questions as he tore up them two at a time. He was heaving even more from the exertion as he went into his own room instead of the guest room.

He headed straight for the closet and yanked out one of his old duffel bags. Without hesitation, Tony grabbed a random pair of sweats and a hoodie, barely registering that it was his old MIT hoodie that he’d been carrying around for years on end.

Either way, none of it mattered as he gathered a bag for Peter, silently cursing himself for not grabbing some things from the apartment while he was there. In his haste, he almost sped right past the guest room without grabbing the most important thing inside.

Tony grabbed the white bear and shoved it in the duffel bag. He didn’t waste any time as he grabbed a blanket and stuffed that in too and zipped it up. He left the room quickly, and this time he headed towards the lift.

“Are they ready?” Tony asked as FRIDAY closed the doors for him. “Get me a suit.”

“Colonel Rhodes and all Rogues are aboard the Quinjet and are currently getting dressed into their gear.” FRIDAY replied as she took him down to the main floor. “A suit is on standby on the helipad. I have directed various SHIELD staff away from the take-off zone. I believe all SHIELD personnel are unaware of the current mission but will become alert on take-off.”

“Thanks Fri.”

When the lift doors opened, Tony rushed out and ignored anyone who tried to approach him. He must look like a mess. Ross was definitelygoing to find out about the Rogues being here now.

Tony ignored thoughts about Ross as he pushed the doors open and sped across the landing deck, FRIDAY already in control of the suit. He walked straight past it and got into the Quinjet, placing the bag on one of the benches and looked around.

Natasha sat in the cockpit, already dressed in her suit. She had her headset on as he tapped away at various controls, and as soon as the Iron Man suit was on board, the ramp began to close. Steve stood by Natasha’s side, fully-clad in his Captain America uniform, however it looked considerably destroyed and mangled. The star had been completely ripped out.

Clint sat on the bench opposite to the one Tony had set the bag on, sharpening his arrows. Tony looked away when the archer glanced up at him.

“Keep calm, Tones.” Rhodey mumbled, Tony barely able to hear him over the Quinjet’s engines whirring to life. He just nodded and buried his face in his hands, skin still covered in residue from his nightmare. Tony was pretty sure he smelt disgusting, but that was the least of his worries as finally, the Quinjet ascended into the air.

_This could be it._

“ETA?” Tony asked FRIDAY as the Quinjet picked up speed, already soaring through the air. “Is the tech functioning properly?”

“ETA four hours and eight minutes.” Tony’s breath hitched. That was far too long. “All technology is functioning to its complete potential.”

“Good.” Tony slumped down onto the bench and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’m coming kid, I’m coming. I promise.”

Tony wasn’t sure if he’d be able to make it out of this if it turned out to be another ploy of Beck’s. It could very well be another stunt to traumatise him again, or to even kidnap him for himself, and even the thought of never seeing his kid again scared him to death.

He _would_ be getting his kid back tonight.

-

Time passed. No one spoke.

Tony was sure it had been the longest four hours of his life. Most of it was spent pacing around the cabin, muttering to himself, ready to tear his hair out from the stress alone. Peter’s face floated around his mind as he asked FRIDAY their estimated time of arrival for the fifth time in fifteen minutes, the sheer desperation to see his kid again driving him insane.

When Natasha finally landed the Quinjet a safe distance away from their destination, shit got real.

This was his chance.

As far as they knew, Beck had no idea they were here. Tony wanted to believe that, he really did, but there was always the possibility of the man realising his mistake. Fuck, he could have shipped Peter out of the country in the four hours that Tony had been in the air.

He pushed those thoughts away and took a deep breath. Tony eyed the duffel bag on the bench before he got into the suit, mentally preparing himself for anything and everything as the metal closed around his body. The cool feeling of it was pleasant against his searing hot skin.

Tony avoided everyone’s eyes as he stepped off of the ramp and onto the Earth. They had landed in a place he was sure Beck wouldn’t be suspecting a thing, if he hadn’t realised, he failed to hide their location.

If his location was real.

This particular HYDRA base was an underground bunker, which gave them an advantage. However, that didn’t determine whether Beck had set up precautions or not. There was sure to be some security cameras set up, or even some drones waiting to shoot their brains out.

“We separate.” Tony began when they were all outside. The sun had set long ago, which left them plunged in darkness, which also worked to their advantage. The only light came from Tony and Rhodey’s suits, the Quinjet having been turned off long ago. “You guys take the trees, Rhodey and I’ll take the skies.”

Everyone nodded in affirmation. Well, Tony hoped they nodded, but he really couldn’t give a shit because he was going in there no matter what.

“Don’t believe anything you see.” Tony lectured, surprised that he could keep his tone so steady. “Do not shoot until I give the all clear. Beck can disguise my kid with that tech. I can’t have any of you accidently killing him or May. Please.”

“Roger that.” Natasha muttered, while the others let out similar noises of agreement.

“I mean it. Do _not_ shoot.” When the silence stretched on, he couldn’t wait any longer.

He took off.

Tony flew as fast as he could, FRIDAY already mapping out all entrances and scanning for any of Beck’s technology. Rhodey followed close behind, the same information being transmitted between their suits as they got closer and closer to the facility.

FRIDAY scanned the perimeter around them for any of Beck’s drones cloaked by the BARF tech. When nothing appeared on radar, Tony swooped down to the closest entrance and landed softer than he normally would. The lack of security could imply that Beck had no idea they were here.

Rhodey headed over to an entrance on the opposite side, Steve, Clint and Nat’s blips incoming quickly. Tony was soon faced with a coded lock.

It didn’t take FRIDAY long to crack the code. She was already scanning for both heat signatures and the tech as he stepped into the building, the only sound being the mechanical whirring of the suit. It didn’t take him long to come to a set of stairs that descended downwards.

 _“Entering the bunker now.”_ Natasha muttered through the comms. _“Status?”_

“Inside.” Tony murmured in return, eyes searching the room as he flew down the stairs rather than walking. He made sure to remain as quiet as the suit would allow, eyes searching the dark corridors. Nothing had come into sight yet. “Nothing yet. War Machine?”

“Nothing.” Rhodey replied. “No heat signatures or anything.”

Tony didn’t reply. He stepped down a long, silent hallway, anticipating for when Beck would attack. If he forgot to block his location on purpose, this could very well be another one of his traps. Tony could be walking straight into his capture.

He ignored the thought and proceeded down the hall. Tony wasn’t worried about himself.

It was when he came to a large, empty and open space when FRIDAY spoke quietly in his ear.

“Trip wires detected.”

“There’s trip wires. Be careful.” Tony relayed to the rest of the team as he stepped over the thin wire in one of the doorways.

“I have detected BARF technology, Boss.” Tony froze where he had been walking towards one of the corridors that branched off from the large room. In his HUD, the blue outlines of drones flying up the corridors toward him made themselves known.

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._

That could only mean one thing.

Beck knows he’s here.

Two drones flew into the room, completely silent and masked by the tech. He pretended not to see them, standing in the middle of the room like an idiot as he waited to see what they would do. FRIDAY already had them as locked targets. Not a moment later, he could see the drones creating something. Something that looked very much like Peter.

“Beck knows I’m here.” Tony muttered into the comms as quietly as he could. “We have to move quicker.”

“Got it.”

Tony wasn’t sure who replied, because he became distracted by the sound of Peter’s voice.

“M-Mr Stark?”

Tony closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. _Not real._

Illusion Peter stood by the corridor he had been heading towards, leant up against the door frame holding his bleeding side. Unknown to Beck, Tony could see the drones projecting the hologram of Peter, FRIDAY already lining up the shot for him so it wouldn’t be obvious that he knew.

“That’s me.” Tony replied, hating how real it looked. “But that’s not you.”

“I-it is, Mr. Stark.” Peter whimpered then coughed so violently that the illusion’s knees buckled. Fake blood then splattered onto the floor a moment later. “W-why don’t y-you believe me?”

“Cut the bullshit, Beck.” Tony growled at the exact time FRIDAY fired. The two drones exploded into a heap on the floor, the projection of Peter disappearing instantly. Knowing that his position was exposed, he had no time to waste.

Tony took off down the corridor, weaving through corridors until he came to a dead end. But it wasn’t really a dead end, because Tony could see the outlines of small devices on the walls. So, he flew full pelt towards the wall, only wincing slightly out of instinct when his face met the wall. As expected, he fell right through.

“I have detected heat signatures.” FRIDAY said as he ripped through the underground base. Tony’s eyes flickered to the HUD; the heat signatures located quite a fair way away. There were three of them, one sat in a chair and two standing.

Tony’s heart skipped a beat. Peter had been chained to a chair the last time Tony saw him.

It had to be him.

That thought alone made Tony fly faster.

 _“Stark.”_ Steve suddenly yelled through the comms. _“I’ve… I’ve found a body. I don’t know if it’s real, but… I think it is. It’s locked away in one of the old cells. It’s decomposing.”_

“Got it.” Tony replied, out of breath. “I’m almost to the kid. Who is it?”

There was a brief pause from the other side of the comms.

_“I think… I think it’s his aunt.”_

Tony’s breath hitched. “Are you sure?”

 _“Yes.”_ The Captain whispered. _“It… she looks so real. I think it’s real, Tony.”_

“Take her to the jet.” Tony choked out and closed his eyes. “Make sure she’s real before you do.”

Before he knew it, Tony fell into an empty room. He recognised it instantly, and he barely heard Steve reply.

_“Affirmative.”_

It was the room that contained the cell Peter had been locked in. Tony stared at the sight in front of him, at the blood that caked the concrete beneath it, ice cold terror choking his heart as he rushed towards it. He stared at the sight for another few moments before he whirled around and spotted another door. Tony wasted no time in busting it open, a little surprised by the blinding light that came from it.

Tony surged down it immediately. He ended up in some kind of office, completely abandoned, though there was evidence that whoever had been here hadn’t been gone for long. A steaming cup of coffee sat on the desk beside one of the computers, and on the screen was a picture of the Avengers tower.

This must have been where Beck had orchestrated everything. Tony recognised the surroundings from the videos he had been and livestream that Beck had conducted a few hours ago. Tony couldn’t even begin to wonder what the world was thinking of Spider-Man right now.

Tony pushed the thought to the back of his mind to focus on later.

Without time to waste, Tony continued his mission to get to the heat signature’s position. It wasn’t long before more illusions were put into place to deter him.

This time, Beck and Peter stood in front of him. Tony had been anticipating the appearance, the drones visible on his HUD before he even turned the corner. He was faced with the sight of Beck holding Peter’s neck in a chokehold, gun pressed to the side of the teen’s head.

Tony shoved down the panic and reminded himself that this wasn’t real. He was so close.

“I’m glad you came, Stark.” Illusion Beck sneered and cocked the gun. Not even a second later, he pulled the trigger, and fake blood splattered onto the wall beside him. Tony clenched his jaw at the sight and fired his repulsors in the direction of the drones, which immediately exploded upon impact.

“Fuck.” Tony wheezed and continued. He was so, so close. _Almost there._

When he finally reached the door to the room the heat signatures were located, he shot the door down. Pieces of concrete flew everywhere as he charged into the room, eyes quickly scanning the perimeter. Immediately his attention was drawn to what was in the middle of the room.

_Peter._

Tony sucked in a breath and focussed on Beck.

Beck, who had a _real_ gun to the _real_ Peter’s head.

Tony wanted to scream at the sight of Peter. Real Peter, sitting there, sobbing his heart out.

FRIDAY was already lining up the critical shot, focussed on Beck’s head. Another man stood in the corner, looking absolutely terrified of Tony’s presence. Even Beck had the audacity to look scared as he stood there, staring at Tony as if he hadn’t expected him to get so far. Cloaked by the tech, two drones hovered behind the kid, weapons raised.

“I’ve found two women.” Natasha chose this time to speak up. “I have them locked up. Let me know when to do it.”

Tony didn’t answer.

It didn’t take long for FRIDAY to have four red dots focussed on Beck, the two drones, and the cowering man in the corner.

“Did I come at a bad time?” Tony sneered. “Did someone forget to block their location?”

“So, Tony.” Beck smiled and straightened up. The fear was obvious on his face, and his hand was trembling. Good. This piece of shit should be scared. “You’re finally here. Never would’ve thought you would actually come for this stupid kid. I actually didn’t mean to give you our location, but now that you’re here, why don’t we talk about some things? If not, I’ll gladly shoot the spoiled brat right here for real this time.”

“Alright, let’s talk.” Tony growled but didn’t move. Tony looked at Peter, who stared back at him with tears pouring down his cheeks. It was plainly obvious that Peter didn’t really believe it was him. “Lower your gun and we can talk. I’ll give you whatever you want, just let my kid go. This isn’t his fault.”

Tony was surprised when Beck actually lowered the gun and turned to fully face him. Before the man could open his mouth, Tony continued.

“For someone who holds so much technology, you really are pretty fucking stupid. Go on, Fri. Do it.”

In under a second after he spoke, FRIDAY shot at her targets. The drone’s malfunctioned and spun around madly, just missing Peter’s head as they careened to the floor in a smoky heap. Tony watched as all the glee was wiped from Beck’s face, a clear bullet hole in his head as the man’s hand released the gun he’d been holding. The man that had been in the corner had already crumbled into a heap of limbs on the ground, dead.

Tony watched with great satisfaction as the real Beck fell to his knees, then flopped onto his side, eyes unseeing.

Now, all that was left, was Peter. Peter, who was looking down at Beck with his mouth agape, tears streaking through the dirt and blood that caked the teen’s face. From where he stood, Tony could see Peter’s body shaking head to toe. The poor thing was terrified, and Tony hated it.

“Fri.” Tony whispered, unsure whether he could believe what he was seeing. “Is this real?”

“I believe so.”

Tony didn’t need any more persuasion.

“I’ve got him.” Tony sat into the comms. “Do it.”

“ _Yep._ ”

 _“I’ve found a guy trying to get to the computers.”_ Clint grumbled through the comms, as if he were struggling. _“I have to take him out.”_

“Kill him.” Tony growled. He didn’t want any of these people who helped hurt his child alive.

Now, all Tony could do was focus on that said child.

Without hesitation, Tony stumbled towards Peter and lifted his faceplate. His heart ached when Peter flinched away from him, though he didn’t stop moving as he was released from the suit. He fell to his knees in front of Peter, shaky hands raising but never advancing to touch the kid.

“P-please s-stop.” Peter whimpered and shook his head, trying to lean away. His voice was broken, as if he had been non-stop screaming for days on end. “T-this isn’t real.”

“Buddy.” Tony's voice broke. “Peter, buddy, it’s me.”

“S-stop!” Peter sobbed. It was like a stab to Tony’s heart. It was way too similar to the fake Peter he had been faced with days ago, the one that had screamed at him to go away, to leave him alone because it was his fault. “I c-can’t do it anymore, B-Beck. J-just kill me. I’m not t-telling you any-thing!”

“Peter.” Tony choked out, lowering his hand to hold Peter’s hand instead. He ran his thumb over the boys trembling knuckles, unable to keep the tears in at the feeling of Peter’s warm, and still soft skin. Peter shifted under his touch but didn’t try and move his hand away. “It’s over, bud. This is real. I promise.”

“N-no.” The teen shook his head again. “This isn’t real! G-get aw-ay from me!”

As gently as he could, Tony began to undo Peter’s restraints, starting with his wrists. Then, he moved to his ankles, and soon, Peter was free. Still, the boy didn’t make any attempt to move, and continued to cry.

The kid wore only boxers, his skin caked with dirt, blood, and what could probably be piss. Tony ignored it all and grabbed Peter’s hand again, shifting closer to meet the boy’s eyes. Peter stared at him, untrusting, a look Tony wished would never be directed at him.

“Look at me, Underoos.” Tony whispered and squeezed Peter’s small fingers. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you so much.”

Peter only sobbed in response and shook his head again.

“Peter. Bambi.” Tony muttered, then gently raised his other hand to cup Peter’s cheek. When Peter leaned away, he tried not to be too hurt as he lowered his back down. Instead, he held both Peter’s hands and gently brought them to rest on either side of his face. “I’m real. I promise, kiddie. I’m right here. I’ve got you now.”

Peter’s fingers twitched against his cheeks but otherwise didn’t move.

“Remember when you got stabbed and you didn’t tell me about it until Karen forced it out of you?” Tony began, his tone beginning to wobble the longer he looked into his kid’s shining eyes. Peter looked so sad, so heartbroken that Tony wanted to break something. “I came and picked you up, then you scared me to death when you blacked out just before surgery. I’d never been more scared in my life, Bambi. You give me so many grey hairs.”

The teen’s eyes shone with recognition.

“What about the time May yelled at the both of us because I took you out of school and didn’t tell her about it?” Tony felt his throat close in at the thought of May but pushed it away and tried to be strong for his kid. His kid he’d have to tell that his aunt was dead. For real. “I thought I was about to get grounded too. Your aunt is one scary woman, Petey.”

At the mention of May, Peter’s face fell impossibly more.

That meant that what he’d seen on the last video was real. May’s body, lying there, motionless, had been real. Peter had most likely seen her die.

_Shit._

“I love you, Peter.” Tony whispered, pressing Peter’s hands closer to his face and tried not to think about May right now. “I love you so much. I’m sorry I never told you that earlier.”

When Peter didn’t respond, Tony wanted to scream.

“I’ve got you.” Tony whispered, then turned his head to press a kiss to the inside of Peter’s palm. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t get here quicker. I tried. I saw what you were going through. Fuck- I’m so sorry.”

Peter whimpered a little, then shivered. He must be cold.

“I love you.” Tony repeated, and gently let Peter’s hands fall from his face. “I love you, Bambino.”

Tony had never called Peter Bambino before, and at the reminder of his mother, Tony’s stomach churned a little. She’d always called him that when he was younger, and it just seemed fit to call Peter that. It was also an attempt to get through to Peter that he was real, and not some other illusion. There was no possible way that Beck would know that nickname if Tony had never used it before.

Tony could hear Rhodey enter the room behind him just from the sounds of his suit. Tony ignored it, but Peter’s eyes flickered up to the new presence in the room.

Tony reached up and carded a hand through Peter’s hair, and at first, the boy flinched away. But eventually, he submitted to the touch, huge eyes boring into Tony’s. It was obvious that Peter was analysing him.

“Dad’s here.” Tony muttered ever so quietly. He had never been so sincere in his life. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”

“D-Dad?” Peter whispered.

Tony nodded and tried to smile, but he ended up trying to fight a sob down instead.

“Can I give you a hug, buddy?” Tony asked, then opened his arms a little in invitation. They were shaking. “Beck will never hurt you again, I promise. I’ve never been so sure.”

“You’re r-real?” Peter asked, so timid, so terrified. “Mr. Stark?”

“That’s my name, don’t wear it out.” Tony smiled wobblily; arms still open. “I want to take you home. I have some clothes for you in the Quinjet, and I stopped by your apartment the other day and found a cute little bear on your bed. That is yours isn’t it? With the stumpy arms and red paws?”

Something changed in Peter’s expression. Tony took that as a good sign.

“I saw it has your name on the tag. So, it must be yours.” Peter’s face was beginning to screw up, and before Tony could even prepare himself, Peter had slid off the chair and into Tony’s arms with one, loud and agonising sob. Tony immediately wrapped his arms around Peter’s trembling, skinny body and squeezed as gently as he could. “Oh, baby, it’s okay. I’ve got you now.”

Tony couldn’t help but sob in relief as he brought his kid impossibly closer and pressed his face into the boy’s scrawny shoulder. Peter wailed into his chest, right where the arc reactor used to be, both hands fisting the fabric of Tony’s work tank tight in his hands.

Slowly, he rocked Peter’s battered body back and forth, and shut his eyes for a moment to relish in the fact that the realPeter was here in his arms. Now that Tony was holding him, he could feel the grime on his bare body, and he could smell it. There was no doubt that Peter hadn’t been granted the luxury of having a shower, and Tony couldn’t wait to get Peter cleaned up and dressed.

“Come on, Pete, we gotta get out of here.” Tony murmured and began to stand. Peter clung onto him with his full weight, his cries tearing his heart apart. Peter pulled back, teary eyes looking around the room, before they rested on the body in the corner. Tony gently grabbed Peter’s chin and turned his face away from the gruesome sight. “Don’t look at that, buddy.”

“This i-isn’t r-real.” Peter choked out and tried to pull away. The movements were weak, and Tony was able to keep a decent hold on him. “Let g-go.”

“It’s really me, Pete.” More tears welled up when Peter began to shake his head. Then, the boy’s gaze returned to Beck’s body that lay wide-eyed and emotionless beside them. Tony once again redirected Peter’s attention to him. “He won’t hurt you again. I promise you that, kiddo.”

Peter seemed to think for a long, agonising few seconds.

“Dad.” It was so quiet Tony almost didn’t hear him. A small, sad smile appeared on his face as Peter’s eyes met his. “You’re r-really here?”

“I promise.” Tony rubbed Peter’s arm. “Can you walk?”

The shake of the head almost wasn’t there, but Tony saw it either way.

He considered his options for a few moments before he straight up lifted Peter up into his arms.

Tony was a little shocked at how light the kid was and how easy it was to carry him. After a few moments of trying to get Peter in a comfortable position, Tony ended up holding Peter as if he were a toddler.

Either way, Peter clung onto him and restarted his sobs, which were muffled by his shoulder. He was so light. Tony slowly turned to face Rhodey, who stood with his faceplate up. He had teary eyes, but he offered a small smile when he made eye contact. Tony barely returned it.

“Let’s go.” Tony muttered, and together, they began to follow Tony’s suit that was in control of FRIDAY. Rhodey walked in front of them, talking into the comms. Tony had no idea what was going on with the others, but right now, all he cared about was Peter. “I’ve got you, kiddo. I’ve got you.”

“May?” Peter whimpered so quietly Tony almost didn’t hear him.

Tony cringed and tried his hardest not to crumble underneath the heavy weight on his shoulders.

“I’m so sorry.” Tony whispered, and wished desperately that he didn’t have to tell Peter what he knew. Peter hadn’t looked up from his shoulder, but Tony heard the wounded noise that the teen let out. He squeezed Tony even tighter and sobbed into his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Pete. I wasn’t quick enough.”

Peter didn’t answer.

Tony couldn’t stand the sound. Not because it was annoying, because it was so painful to hear.

May was, most likely, dead. Tony hadn’t gotten to them quick enough and she’d paid the price.

She had most likely been dead for the entire week and he had no idea.

The familiar feeling of grief washed over him as they were guided through the halls by both FRIDAY and Rhodey. He tried his very best not to let it consume him as he held his kid tight against him, the boy’s having quietened after around ten minutes of brutal sobbing.

It was about twenty minutes before they made it to the exit. Tony remembered it not being nearly as long, but he had been going full pelt inside of the suit. He hadn’t even paid attention to how much time it had taken to get there.

When they managed to get up the stairs and out of the bunker, the cold air hit them like a wall. Peter shivered as the breeze hit his skin, which led Tony to wish he’d brought the blanket with him, or at least left it in a place he could collect it when he got Peter.

If he was honest, he hadn’t expected to find Peter at all.

“Barton’s bringing the Quinjet over.” Rhodey began, eyes flickering between Tony and the teen curled up in his arms. “ETA two minutes. Rogers has… you know. He’s on the jet already. Romanoff is on her way back.”

Tony winced. He knew exactly what Rhodey was implying.

He just nodded and squeezed Peter the tightest he could without aggravating his injuries any further. The kid had gashes and bruises all over him that had barely healed, which reminded Tony that the kid’s powers had been supressed.

God, Peter had everything taken away from him.

His aunt, his dignity, his powers, his identity.

Tony had taken too long.

No one spoke as they watched Clint land the Quinjet in front of them, Tony shielding Peter’s body with his own as the wind roared around them from the jet. At around the same time, Natasha came into view. Her eyes looked at Peter, gaze schooled but obviously curious.

Without a word, Tony moved past Rhodey when the man gestured for them to get on the Quinjet. The space was warm enough that Peter wouldn’t be shivering soon enough, though that did nothing to quell Tony’s nerves.

Steve stood in the corner; guilt displayed all over his face. Tony knew that May’s body must be in the back compartment where extra weapons were usually kept, where no one could see her. Tony was thankful for that, especially when Peter was with him.

The thought of sharing the jet with a week-old corpse made him uncomfortable, let alone it being Peter’s aunt. She was meant to be alive.

Tony ignored the thoughts and moved over to the same bench he’d set the duffel bag on.

“I’m just going to put you down here, alright?” Tony said to Peter as he moved to set the boy down. He hadn’t been expecting Peter’s grip to tighten when he tried to sit him down, his eyes filling back up with tears as Peter made a small, sad noise into his shoulder. “I’m not going anywhere, Petey, I promise. I just want to get you cleaned up.”

When Peter shook his head, Tony stood there for a moment and thought about what he could do.

Tony then manoeuvred the boy’s limbs, so he was now being carried bridal style. Then, he sat down, so Peter sat sideways over his lap. This way, they could still be close, and Tony could see the teen’s face.

Peter was now staring at him with huge, watery eyes. Tony tried to smile, but his lips wobbled, and a new fountain of tears poured down his cheeks. Despite the mixture of dirt, blood and sweat on Peter’s forehead, Tony pressed a gentle kiss to the skin there and sighed in pure relief that Peter was alive.

He wasn’t so sure the same could be said for May, though.

“Someone get me a wet cloth.” Tony snapped to the general vicinity of where the Rogues resided, aside from Clint who now sat in the cockpit. Peter jumped but didn’t look away from Tony and grabbed a fistful of his work top in his hand. There was some movement, and soon, Natasha was standing over them.

Peter looked up at her. She handed Tony the cloth with a gentle smile, then turned away as if to give them privacy. Tony spotted Steve and Rhodey talking quietly near the back of the jet, both faces resembling guilt and concern. God, they had to be talking about May.

As gently as he could, Tony began to wipe Peter’s face down with the cloth. Peter’s eyes turned back to him, never looking away as Tony tried to get rid of as much blood and dirt as he could. There were a range of gashes on the kid’s face, and his nose also looked bruised and maybe as well. Tony’s blood boiled.

For a moment, he regretted killing Beck so quickly, because he would have much rather dragged the process out and made him suffer like he made Peter suffer. However, Tony was sure the bastard would have shot Peter for real if he made him wait any longer.

He could feel the eyes of the whole jet’s worth of people watching them as Tony went through with the task of cleaning Peter’s face up, though the teen seemed none the wiser. Peter just stared at Tony with those huge eyes, as if he didn’t really believe that Tony was there. He probably didn’t.

The Quinjet took off somewhere between this happening, however Peter didn’t even seem to react. He just continued to stare.

Once Tony was satisfied, he leaned over to the duffel bag and dragged it closer to him. He unzipped it with one hand and grabbed the first thing he saw, which was the little white bear. Without an ounce of hesitation, he placed it on Peter’s chest.

The boy didn’t even react to the toy. He just stared up at Tony and let out a small noise of fear, as if he thought Tony was going to disappear if he didn’t keep his eyes on him at all times.

“I’m not going anywhere, buddy.” Tony repeated his words from earlier and caressed Peter’s cheek. “I have some clothes for you. Do you want to get changed?”

Peter didn’t react for a second time. He just stared at Tony with that same look of intent, and his gaze was so piercing it made worry rise in his chest. It was obvious that Peter was still sceptical if Tony was real or not, despite everything he had said.

Tony looked away pulled his old MIT hoodie out of his bag. He could feel Peter’s eyes on him as he tried to formulate a plan to get the clothing on him.

“You’re going to have to let go of me for a bit.” Tony said gently and pried Peter’s hand away from his shirt as he did so. “Just so we can get your clothes on. I promise I’m not going anywhere; I just want to get you warm.”

After a while, Peter finally showed a response and nodded.

It was hard, but eventually Tony managed to manipulate Peter’s arms into the sleeves and get hoodie over his head. He pulled it down to cover the boy’s chest and stomach to make him as warm as possible, then placed the bear back on his chest.

Tony was sure that on a normal day; his hoodie would be huge on Peter. But now, after two weeks of probably being fed the bare minimum, he looked even tinier. The sight made Tony’s heart swell and ache at the same time. Despite the wounds and obviously starved body, Peter looked so preciousin his hoodie. Like it was made for him.

He watched Peter curl his hands into the sleeves, fingers feeling over the fabric. His eyes never left Tony.

“Alright, pants.” Tony said next and grabbed the pants from the bag.

“Do you need any help?” Steve said so suddenly it made both Peter and Tony jump about six feet. Tony considered it for a moment before he looked down at Peter, who had the hoodie bunched up under his chin, hood still partially covering his hair. The boy continued to stare, but it looked like his eyes were beginning to well up with tears once again.

“Do you think you can stand so we can get some pants on?” Tony asked, and he could already tell from the way Peter curled into him more that it wasn’t going to happen. “Do you want Steve to help?”

Peter shook his head once.

“How about Nat?” He asked, wondering if someone similar to May would be able to settle Peter enough to get the rest of his clothes on. May and Natasha weren’t really all that similar, but Tony knew for a fact that Natasha could be motherly when she wanted to. He could see it when she interacted with Clint’s kids. “It’ll be quick, and we can go straight back to cuddling. I just want you to be warm.”

Tony attempted to joke a little, but it fell flat. Peter slowly turned to look at Nat, not an ounce of excitement on his face when he looked at the rest of the Rogues. Tony knew how much of an Avengers fan Peter was.

Now, none of that even mattered.

After a long time of Peter looking around at the adults, he finally nodded.

Tony shifted Peter so he was sitting with his back to his chest, arms secure around the boy’s waist to remind him that he was still there. Peter began to squirm and shift under Tony’s hold, and soon enough the teen had craned his neck enough to peer up at Tony.

“I’m right here.” Tony said as he handed the pants to Natasha.

Together, they managed to get Peter’s legs in the sweatpants and pull them up until the band was around his waist. The sweatpants were huge on Peter’s small form, but both adults ignored that as Natasha pulled some socks over Peter’s bare feet.

When they were finished, Peter wasted no time in turning around in Tony’s arms and wrapped his arms around him. Tony closed his eyes and rested his head on top of Peter’s, arms also wrapped around the boy. Peter was shaking, but not really crying, just trembling as he buried his face in Tony’s chest. The bear was squished between them, and it was rather uncomfortable, but it didn’t matter.

What really mattered was that Peter was finally in his arms.

After a short while, Tony felt Peter’s body relax as he fell asleep.

Tony shifted Peter so he was in a more comfortable position that suited the both of them. This caused Peter to move, his fingers flexing as they once again latched onto Tony’s shirt. Tony just smiled wobbly, almost crushed by the relief.

Peter was _here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading as always!!
> 
> please let me know what you think <3
> 
> also, sorry if i killed beck and his cult too fast, but i needed those psychopaths dead and away from peter. i'm sure you'll understand


	13. Discontinued.

it's been a while since i've updated this story, and i'm sad to say i won't be continuing. 

i feel like i am not in the right headspace to continue with this heavy fic, and i doubt i will ever come back to it. it was fun while it lasted, but as of now it will be discontinued and there will be no more updates. i'm not really sure how many people were reading, since this is one of my fics that isn't really 'popular', but thank you so much for the kind comments. i've loved reading all your reactions and predictions for future chapters, and i'm sorry that i couldn't continue writing this for you.

basically, the ending to this fic was as you'd expect. Peter has severe PTSD and separation anxiety from Tony after what Beck did to him, along with nightmares and thinking various scenarios weren't real. the remaining chapters were supposed to be his recovery, but i lost inspiration as i thought the 'good part' of the story had ended. i also had May's funeral planned and Peter reuniting with Ned and MJ.

i'm really sorry, i hate writing long fics and then never finishing them, but i simply cannot continue.

thank you so much for reading <3

**Author's Note:**

> please leave some feedback :)
> 
> \+ if theres any inaccuracies just like... ignore them. i don't wanna know.


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